Paul Murphy
Question:1722. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the way in which the consultant and surgeon triage patients for elective surgeries; and the location in which this is recorded. [35118/21]
View answerTuesday, 27 July 2021
Questions (1722, 1723, 1724)
Paul Murphy
Question:1723. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the location in which waiting lists of patients who are pending elective surgeries are recorded. [35119/21]
View answerPaul Murphy
Question:1724. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the way in which the consultants and surgeons communicate with the admission office in relation to patients and waiting lists changes for elective surgeries. [35120/21]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1722 to 1724, inclusive, together.
In relation to the specifics raised by the Deputy regarding the triaging of patient referrals, communication at hospital level, and any associated policies and operational protocols at hospital level, as this relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
More broadly in relation to patient pathways and associated protocols, the majority of patients requiring admission to an acute hospital for an elective procedure are usually referred by their General Practitioner (GP) and attend an outpatient consultation. At this consultation, the clinical decision will be made as to whether or not an inpatient, day case or planned procedure admission is required.
The National Inpatient, Day case and Planned Procedure Waiting List Management Protocol (2017) developed by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) and published in full on the NTPF website, is intended to provide guidance to ensure that there is a consistent and standardised user friendly approach to the management and scheduling of patients on Inpatient, Day case and Planned Procedure (IDPP) waiting lists within each hospital and across hospital groups. The purpose of this protocol is to ensure the safe, timely and effective access and treatment of patients in a fair and equitable manner.
As per the guidance of the protocol, once a patient has been seen by a Consultant or Senior Clinician and the decision to admit has been made, the patient is verbally informed. A waiting list booking form is completed and forwarded to the booking administrator or booking office. Clinical Priority must be clearly indicated on this form. Categorisation of patients by clinical priority is required to ensure that all patients receive care in a timely and clinically appropriate manner. The clinical prioritisation of the patient remains at all times a matter for the treating physician. The clinical priority category should be appropriate to the patient, their clinical situation and, sometimes, other exceptional social circumstances.