Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 October 2021
813. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Health the number of in-patient hospital cancellations at Wexford General Hospital in each of the years 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50942/21]
View answer814. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Health the number of outpatient hospital cancellations at Wexford General Hospital in each of the years 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50943/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 813 and 814 together.
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 has advised 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.
Patient safety remains at the centre of all hospital activity and elective care scheduling. To ensure services are provided in a safe, clinically-aligned and prioritised way, hospitals are following HSE clinical guidelines and protocols.
The National Waiting List Management Policy is a standardised approach used by the HSE to manage scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures. It sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists and was developed in 2014 to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
