Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 31 May 2001

Vol. 537 No. 4

Written Answers. - Hospital Services.

Noel Ahern

Question:

110 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will clarify the situation in relation to a hospital unit (details supplied); if the unit is regarded as adequate for standards in 2001; if there are any plans for upgrading the unit and the provision of extra facilities and toilet units; if there is any inspectorate of hospitals; if they are independent; if they have reported on facilities, equipment and general hygiene standards in this unit in recent years; if management is answerable to the Department for general cleanliness or lack thereof; and if basic conditions regarding cleanliness and toilets can be checked on. [16450/01]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

The Deputy will appreciate that responsibility for the provision of services to private patients is a matter for each individual hospital, in this case, the Rotunda Hospital. While my Department approves the designation of hospital beds as either public or private and determines the level charge to be levied for private and semi-private accommodation the standard of facilities in private and semi-private units is an issue for the hospital concerned and the private health insurer in the context of providing acceptable standards of accommodation for insured persons.

The eight major academic teaching hospitals, MATHs, including six hospitals in the eastern region have developed and are introducing an accreditation programme for hospitals. My Department fully supports this initiative and funding of £2.4 million has been made available to date for that purpose. The accreditation programme will formalise standard setting and measurement across many aspects of a hospital's operations. The focus of the standards is on the patient as he/she moves through an episode of care in the hospital. Standards have now been developed around five interrelated functional areas applicable to each participating hospital: patient service groupings; leadership and partnership; information management; environment management; human resource management.

Development work on the accreditation scheme is now complete. Irish standards have been drafted, field-tested and approved by the participating hospitals and the national steering group. These standards have also been validated internationally by the International Society for Quality in Healthcare. A team of Irish surveyors has been assembled and trained. The scheme will operate initially in the eight MATH's hospitals and, subsequently, will roll out to other acute hospitals, including maternity hospitals. The first hospital survey is planned for early 2002, with the remaining seven hospitals to be surveyed in the following six months.

I am bringing proposals to Government with a view to establishing an accreditation body on a formal basis. In the interim, an implementation steering group, ISG, has been established to roll-out the scheme to the participating hospitals.