Alan Shatter
Ceist:529 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of cancellations of elective surgery in each hospital between June 1997 and September 1998. [28329/98]
Written Answers. - Hospital Services.
Alan Shatter
Ceist:579 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of appointments made for elective surgery by each hospital which were cancelled in 1998; the number of persons whose surgery was cancelled who remain on waiting lists; and the specialities and hospitals concerned in respect of such cancellation. [1669/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 529 and 579 together.
My Department does not routinely collect information on the number of cancellations of elective surgery in each hospital and, therefore, the information requested by the Deputy is not available. My Department has sought information in relation to the number of elective surgery cancellations for the period 1 December, 1998 to 15 January, 1999 which is attached.
The level of elective activity in the acute hospital system is planned by local management over a twelve month period having regard to anticipated levels of emergency admissions and the overall resources available. This forms a central part of the service planning process which is required of health boards under the Health (Amendment) Act 1996. On taking office I changed the system for the allocation of funding under the waiting list initiative to ensure that hospitals were advised of their funding under the initiative at the beginning of the year rather than well into the year as had always been the case before then. This has enabled improved planning of elective activity for the year as agencies can take account, from the outset, of both projected core activity and activity to be performed under the waiting list initiative in the target specialities.
It is important that cancellation of elective surgical procedures are viewed in the context of overall levels of activity delivered in the acute hospital sector against agreed service plans for the twelve month period. In this context, it should be noted that the total number of discharges, both in-patient and day-patient, for all hospitals for the first ten months of 1998 was 676,635 which was almost three percent up on the figure of 656,005 for the same period in 1997. It also has to be understood that the unpredictable nature of activity generated by emergency admissions means that cancellations of elective procedures are inevitable from time to time as the system tries to cope with unexpected peaks. As part of the services planning process, it is a matter for agencies to attempt to take account of these peaks and troughs when planning their elective activity levels over a twelve month period.
Number of elective surgeries cancelled/postponed from 1/12/'98 to 15/1/'99
|
Agency |
No. of elective surgeries cancelled/postponed |
|
Eastern Health Board |
|
|
Beaumont Hospital |
95 |
|
St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital, Cappagh |
0 |
|
The Coombe Hospital |
0 |
|
Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin |
n/a |
|
National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street |
0 |
|
Incorporated Orthopaedic Hospital, Clontarf |
0 |
|
James Connolly Memorial Hospital |
40 |
|
Mater Hospital |
39 |
|
Naas General Hospital |
39 |
|
Rotunda Hospital |
0 |
|
Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital |
0 |
|
Hume Street |
0 |
|
St. Colmcille's Hospital |
19 |
|
St. James's Hospital |
439 |
|
[In-patient - 340 Day Care Surgery – 51 Health Care Centre - 31 Angiography Day Ward – 17] |
|
|
St. Luke's and St. Anne's Hospital |
3 |
|
St. Michael's Hospital |
96 |
|
St. Vincent's Hospital |
141 |
|
Temple Street |
4 |
|
Tallaght |
n/a |
|
Midland Health Board |
|
|
Longford/Westmeath General Hospital, Mullingar |
4 |
|
Portlaoise General Hospital |
0 |
|
Tullamore General Hospital |
27 |
|
Mid-Western Health Board |
|
|
St. Nessan's Orthopaedic Hospital, Croom |
0 |
|
Ennis General Hospital |
0 |
|
Limerick Regional Hospital |
86 |
|
Nenagh General Hospital |
0 |
|
St. John's Hospital |
0 |
|
North-Eastern Health Board |
|
|
Cavan General Hospital |
0 |
|
Louth General Hospital, Dundalk |
21 |
|
Monaghan General Hospital |
40 |
|
Our Lady's Hospital, Navan |
12 |
|
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda |
5 |
|
North-Western Health Board |
|
|
Letterkenny General Hospital |
27 |
|
Sligo General Hospital |
6 |
|
Agency |
No. of elective surgeries cancelled/postponed |
|
South-Eastern Health Board |
|
|
Our Lady's Hospital, Cashel |
n/a |
|
St. Joseph's Hospital, Clonmel |
n/a |
|
Lourdes Orthopaedic Hospital, Kilcreene |
n/a |
|
St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny |
n/a |
|
Waterford Regional Hospital |
n/a |
|
Wexford General Hospital |
n/a |
|
Southern Health Board |
|
|
Bantry General Hospital |
0 |
|
Cork University Hospital |
7 |
|
Erinville Maternity Hospital |
0 |
|
St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital, Gurranebraher |
0 |
|
Mallow General Hospital |
0 |
|
St. Finbarr's Hospital |
0 |
|
Tralee General Hospital |
0 |
|
Mercy Hospital |
10 |
|
South Infirmary/Victoria Hospitals |
10 |
|
Western Health Board |
|
|
Castlebar General Hospital |
n/a |
|
Merlin Park Regional Hospital |
n/a |
|
Roscommon General Hospital |
n/a |
|
University College Hospital Galway |
181 |
|
Portiuncula Hospital |
n/a |