Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 8 Nov 2000

Vol. 525 No. 3

Written Answers. - Hospital Accreditation Programme.

Liz McManus

Question:

223 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children the implementation date for the accreditation system for major academic teaching hospitals; the progress to date on converting the IHAI and the MATH's groups work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25210/00]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

The Deputy will be aware that funding of £1.2 million has been made available to date to support the development and introduction of the accreditation programme in the major academic teaching hospitals, MATH's. The accreditation programme will formalise standard setting and measurement across many aspects of a hospitals operations. The focus of the standards will be on the patient as he/she moves through an episode of care in the hospital. Standards will be developed around six interrelated functional areas applicable to each participating hospital – patient service groupings; leadership; information management; environment management; human resource management; and partnership.

I can confirm that the steering group which is developing the accreditation programme has informed me in recent days that development work on the standards and other aspects of the scheme is on schedule and will be completed by the last quarter of this year. The standards against which hospitals will be surveyed were successfully piloted across participating sites during the summer. Work in relation to the formal establishment of the Irish accrediting agency is at an advanced stage. The target date for the first formal survey is the final quarter of 2001.

A notable feature of the accreditation programme, which I very much welcome, is the relationship which has been established between the MATH's group and the Independent Hospital Association of Ireland, IHAI, as the representative body for private hospitals in Ireland. The IHAI and the MATH's group began to develop Irish accreditation schemes at different times and from different standpoints. However, they are now actively pursuing measures to bring about convergence of their respective endeavours. In this regard I was pleased to learn that the IHAI has formally agreed to work with the MATH's group on the establishment of a single accrediting body for the Irish health sector. While I understand that the convergence being aimed at may take some time to achieve it is my strong view that the interests of Irish patients and health care providers must be best served in the long-term by working to an agreed set of standards in Irish health care. I am confident that we will achieve this objective.