Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 21 May 1996

Vol. 465 No. 6

Written Answers. - Breast Clinic Delays.

Helen Keogh

Ceist:

118 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the frustration of patients at the delays in being attended to at the Breast Clinic in St. Vincent's Hospital, Dublin 4 in view of the fact that this clinic operates only one day per week, which is insufficient to facilitate women from all parts of the country; the plans, if any, he has to extend this clinic to a daily clinic or, at least to three days a week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10275/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): A number of developments have already taken place at the Breast Clinic in St. Vincent's Hospital and further improvements, both in the short-term and the long-term, are also planned. Up to last year only one clinic per week was held each Friday morning. In response to the number of patients attending this clinic, a second clinic was introduced each Friday afternoon which has impacted favourably on waiting times. In addition the hospital have been in contact with general practitioners as part of ongoing educational exchange of information to ensure that the level of inappropriate referrals to the clinic is reduced.

In the short-term, I was also pleased to direct funds from the development moneys allocated to the hospital this year to allow the hospital to introduce a pilot scheme where a nurse led clinic would be held once a week to deal with return patients who would not necessarily require to be seen by a consultant. Having been in close contact with the hospital regarding developments at the clinic, I was pleased, last week, to allocate further funding to the hospital to allow additional consultant led clinics to be introduced in the near future. Again it is intended that these clinics would be focused on return patients. The additional clinics to be introduced this year will have a significant impact on waiting times for patients attending the hospital's Breast Clinic.

I should stress, however, that my intention is that the St. Vincent's clinic should be a model for the development of breast clinics elsewhere but cannot substitute for the provision of these services on a regional basis. The regional development of clinics would also ensure that the service would be close to the women who avail of them. I am asking the hospital management and clinicians involved to use their experience to assist colleagues around the country to achieve this aim of a locally based service.

In the long-term the Deputy will be aware that I visited the hospital last week to announce a major capital development at the hospital which will cost approximately £33 million. This development will have a major impact on services in the hospital and, as part of this development, it is planned to restructure day care services, including those relating to the Breast Clinic.

I am confident that the measures outlined above will significantly improve services at the Breast Clinic and I would also reiterate the point that the clinic at St. Vincent's is intended to operate on a regional basis and should not be viewed as a national referral centre as indicated in the Deputy's question.