Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 May 2019
105. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if appointments for a department in a hospital (details supplied) are being cancelled at short notice due to the fact that this department is being used as an overflow for the accident and emergency department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20246/19]
View answerMaintaining scheduled care access for all patients is a key priority for hospitals. I fully acknowledge the distress and inconvenience for patients and their families when elective procedures are cancelled, particularly for clinically urgent procedures.
While every effort is made to avoid cancellation or postponement of planned procedures, the HSE advise that planned procedures and operations can be postponed or cancelled for a variety of reasons including capacity issues due to increased scheduled and unscheduled care demand, medical reasons, and patient choice.
In relation to the specific question raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to reply to the Deputy directly.
