Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 17 Apr 2002

Vol. 552 No. 1

Written Answers. - Health Services Audit.

Bernard Allen

Ceist:

304 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make a statement on the value for money audit of the health services published by his Department which stated that private elective admissions should be cancelled if the target waiting time for public patients was exceeded. [11222/02]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

The new health strategy, Quality and Fairness – A Health System for You, sets out the actions aimed at addressing capacity, improving equity for public patients and streamlining efficiency in the hospital system. These actions include the provision of additional acute beds, the establishment of a national hospitals agency, reforming the management and organisation of waiting lists, the establishment of a treatment purchase fund and a programme of improvements in accident and emergency departments. These measures are being taken to safeguard the interests of public patients and to address unacceptably long waiting times.

The health strategy makes specific mention that action may be taken if the maximum target waiting time for public patients is exceeded. If the health boards and the ERHA conclude that targets for reduction of waiting times are not being achieved, despite implementation of these actions, a hospital may be directed to suspend admission of private patients for elective procedures in a speciality until the waiting time for public patients is restored to within the target period of time. This direction can be set aside if hospital management and the consultants can agree on alternative means of restoring the target waiting time. This measure offers an important safeguard to the interests of public patients. It provides an incentive for hospitals and consultants to use all available means to address unacceptably long waiters. This matter will be pursued in the context of the strategy commitment to the reform of the management and organisation of waiting lists.