Hospital Equipment

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 February 2016

Tuesday, 2 February 2016

Questions (59)

John Halligan

Question:

59. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Health why it took 11 months to redeploy staff from an old computed tomography, CT, scanner in University Hospital Waterford to a new scanner which opened in April 2015; if he is aware that the older machine was in perfect working order when it was taken out of use; if the hospital ever made an application for additional staff in order that both machines could be operated simultaneously; if it is best practice to have a perfectly functional CT machine not in use at the hospital while waiting lists for scans are at an unacceptable level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4100/16]

Oral answers (23 contributions)

Deputy John Halligan

The new CT unit at University Hospital Waterford was officially launched by the Minister's predecessor, Deputy Reilly, in 2014 at a cost of €1.75 million. The new scanner was explicitly described at the time as a second CT unit for the hospital. It has come to my attention that the original CT scanner, which the Department has confirmed is in perfect working order, was closed once the new model began operation. Will the Minister explain why a perfectly operational scanner is left idle?

Deputy Leo Varadkar

University Hospital Waterford opened a new CT scanner in April 2015. I understand the staff who operated the older scanner were redeployed to the new machine but no additional staff resources were available to allow for the continued operation of the old machine. Operation of the new scanner required additional nursing and health care assistant staff. Delays in staff recruitment at that time contributed to a corresponding delay in the operational opening of the new scanner. There was no interruption to the CT service available to patients as a full service continued to be provided with the older scanner until the new machine was fully operational.

The new CT scanner is of a much higher specification than the older model and allows the radiology department to significantly improve the quality of imaging provided to a standard more appropriate to a modern health service. In saying that, the older scanner is still in working order and is used, on occasion, such as during scheduled preventative maintenance and unscheduled downtime on the new scanner, in order to ensure continuity of service.

It is planned to use the older machine to manage waiting lists for routine, non-urgent diagnostic work. This should reduce wait times overall for patients in the south east who require diagnostic imaging and will free up access to the new scanner for more critical cases. I am advised that a business case is being developed for the additional staff required for this purpose.

Deputy John Halligan

I thank the Minister. I was present on the day the then Minister, Deputy Reilly, described it as a second CT scanner for Waterford. He told us it would provide improved access to patients for CT diagnostic services and that Waterford would finally have two CT scanners based on the fact that over 16,500 examinations were carried out in 2014. The new scanner was ready for use in 2014 but the machine did not come into operation until April 2015. We have been repeatedly informed that the delay was down to the hospital not being able to provide additional nursing staff. Since then, no additional resources have been made available for the new machine and, instead, staff who worked with the old machine have been redeployed. If this was the intention in the first instance, can the Minister explain the 15-month delay in getting the new machine into operation? Does he think it is value for taxpayers' money to have a perfectly working machine gathering dust in the basement of University Hospital Waterford?

Deputy Leo Varadkar

I can only go on what I am told by the hospital because I am not involved in the day-to-day running of the facility or the recruitment of staff there. I am advised by the hospital that there was a difficulty in recruiting staff and that this is the reason the new machine did not open until April 2015 and that it is now putting together a business case to open the second machine. With two machines, there is an argument for doing this either way. It may actually make more sense for the hospital to use the new, more modern scanner for longer hours, and to run it at night and at weekends, rather than running a new machine and an old machine from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and only using one machine on an on-call basis. As I said, the hospital is putting together the business case for additional staff which, no doubt, it will submit to the hospital group and up the line from there.

Deputy John Halligan

Given its proximity to the accident and emergency unit, I have no doubt the new scanner provides improved access. There is no question about that. However, the issue is that the current waiting time for a CT scan in University Hospital Waterford is still six months. I already made the point that 16,500 examinations were carried out in 2014 and patients suspected of having heart disease or other anomalies were told there was at least a six month waiting list for scans. I understand the annual service contract for the older machinery remains in place and that it is used during scheduled preventative maintenance and unscheduled down time of the new unit. We have two scanners in perfect working order and we have more than 16,500 examinations being carried out in the hospital but there is still an average waiting time of six months for access to a scan. I imagine that a small cost would provide a small staff that would be able to reduce the waiting time significantly to two or three months for patients waiting for a CT scan.

Deputy Leo Varadkar

That is the plan. I am advised that emergency and very urgent CT scans are completed on the same day or within a week, that there are 208 patients waiting for urgent scans, that the average wait time is three to four months and that there are 313 patients waiting for routine or semi-urgent scans and that the current average waiting time for them is from four to six months.

Given this may be the last time we are together in the current format, I took the opportunity to look at the Independent Alliance's ten point charter. Many times in this Chamber, Deputy Halligan has raised issues relating to University Hospital Waterford and hospitals in general and while there is lots of motherhood and apple pie talk in the charter about protecting the vulnerable and so on, I was struck by the fact that it makes no mention of hospitals at all.

Deputy John Halligan

This is not the time to be scoring political points.

Deputy Leo Varadkar

Even though the alliance has a ten point charter, it is going to the people-----

Deputy Billy Kelleher

Fine Gael has the five-point plan.

Deputy John Halligan

This is not the time to be scoring points against those who are ill. The Minister knows damn well that on many occasions there have been opportunities to discuss the issue of the hospital and, without being abusive, to score points against the Minister for Health.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

The Deputy had the floor already.

Deputy John Halligan

I think the Minister is out of order.

Deputy Leo Varadkar

The fact the Deputy is so sensitive that he must-----

Deputy John Halligan

I am sensitive because the Waterford hospital is in chaos.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

We must move on to the next question.

Deputy John Halligan

We do not have a 24-hour cardiac care service as the Minister and the previous Minister promised. Trying to score smart political points off me does not do him any justice in view of the thousands of people on waiting lists in Waterford.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

We must move on to the next question. I call Deputy Keaveney.

Deputy Leo Varadkar

Sorry, Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Deputy Halligan kept interrupting me and took my time. I would like my time back.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

Please conclude so.

Deputy John Halligan

The Minister should have concentrated on answering the question about the CT scanner instead of trying to score political points.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

This is not fair to other Deputies with questions.

Deputy Leo Varadkar

Deputy Halligan will now contest a general election based on a ten-point charter, with no commitments at all on waiting lists or for Waterford hospital.

Deputy John Halligan

Waterford hospital is in chaos and the Minister knows that. He should go down and pay a visit to some of the nurses and staff and they will tell him what it is like.