Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
1422. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health when the independent patient advocacy service recommended by HIQA in May 2015 will be established; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32852/18]
View answerIt is intended that an independent patient advocacy service will commence in 2018. My Department will invite tenders for the service shortly with a view to it commencing by the end of this year.
The Programme for Partnership Government (2016) includes a commitment in relation to the establishment of a national patient advocacy service. As noted by the Deputy, the “Report of the investigation into the safety, quality and standards of services provided by the Health Service Executive to patients in the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise” (HIQA, 2015) recommended the establishment of an independent patient advocacy service which would ensure that patients’ reported experiences are recorded, listened to and learned from. The Ombudsman’s report, “Learning to Get Better”, (2015) concluded that many users of hospital services (whether patients or relatives/carers) do not know how to make a complaint about a hospital service and are not aware of the support available to help them to do so. It recommended that independent advocacy services should be sufficiently supported and signposted within each hospital so patients and their families know where to get support if they want to raise a concern.
Both of these reports have informed the ongoing work in relation to the development of the new patient advocacy service. The new service will aim to put patients at the heart of any response to a complaint or in the aftermath of a patient safety incident, so as to ensure that they are supported appropriately.
In parallel with the establishment of the patient advocacy service, my Department has recently commissioned the development of a competency framework and a training programme in patient advocacy. It is expected that this training programme will also be made available to independent advocates in patient safety complaints and support. In addition, my department intends to commission the development of a code of practice and standards which advocacy services will be expected to adhere to.
Following the introduction of the new service, it is planned to conduct an independent evaluation of its operation within two years of its establishment.
