Vol. 506 No. 5
146 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will have examinations made into the manner in which appointments are made for public patients attending outpatient services; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the current method of giving a large number of patients an appointment at the same time is leading to great stress and long waiting times for patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15779/99]
The Deputy will be aware that a charter of rights for hospital patients was introduced in August 1992. It provides guidelines for good standards of practice in acute hospitals. Although the charter has no statutory basis, its objective is to ensure that the health service becomes more responsive to the needs of the individual patient and that there is a code of practice available which sets out what patients have a right to expect when they make use of hospital services.
On the specific issue of the scheduling of appointments, section 2 of the charter states that you have the right, when your family doctor refers you to hospital for an out-patient appointment, to receive confirmation within a reasonable time of the date of your first appointment; be given an individual appointment time; be seen by a consultant or senior doctor on your first appointment.
You have the right, should your appointment at an out-patient department be cancelled by the hospital, to receive adequate and timely notice of such cancellation and to be given a new appointment on a priority basis.
In this regard, my Department has recently asked all acute hospitals to indicate if they are allocating out-patient appointment times in accordance with the standards specified in the charter. When I have received responses from the acute hospitals on this issue, I will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that the provisions of the charter are being met.
