Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 February 2012
217 Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if he will report on all current initiatives to address waiting times and overcrowding in the six major Dublin hospitals accident and emergency units including Beaumont Hospital, the Mater, St. Vincent’s, St. James’s, Blanchardstown James Connolly Memorial, and Tallaght; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7283/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraBuilding on the achievements of 2011 the SDU will work with the NTPF, the HSE Clinical Programmes and hospitals to minimise patient waiting times in emergency departments and reduce waiting periods for in patient and day case elective surgical care. The improvements already won have to be secured and continually improved upon. There is a specific SDU liaison process in place for all of these hospitals with varying degrees of intensity commensurate with the issues on the ground in each location. The next phase of work by the SDU, which will encompass these six hospitals, will include:
February 2012 will begin to see the focus in ED turn to patient journey time monitoring (along with trolley waits) as part of the new national score card for measuring performance.
Unscheduled Care Target to be introduced in 2012: Ensure that 95% of all attendees at EDs are discharged or admitted within 6 hours of registration, and that those who need to be admitted through ED wait no more than 9 hours from registration.
Scheduled Care Targets to be introduced in 2012: Move to reduce maximum waiting time for elective surgery to 9 months or less. 20 weeks or less for elective paediatric procedures. Endoscopy procedures the target is 13 weeks.
Set targets for improved access to outpatient (OPD) services in the first quarter of 2012.
The introduction of hospital groups will provide further opportunities for inter site cooperation. Although achieving these targets will be challenging given the difficult budgetary position the health services are facing I am encouraged by the recent successes of the SDU.
Significant Progress by end 2011
By the end of 2011 very significant progress was made on the two key SDU priority initiatives for 2011 in relation to trolley waits and the 12 month maximum waiting time target for elective in patient and day case surgery.
Trolley Waits 2011
In the area of unscheduled care in Emergency Departments (ED) the cumulative number of patients waiting on trolleys was 27% lower than the previous year. This equates to significant numbers of patients whose experience of our Emergency Departments was markedly improved through the work of the SDU.
Elective in patient and day case waiting lists 2011
In relation to scheduled care the National Treatment Purchase Fund reported that at the end of 2011, 95% (41 hospitals) met the target to eliminate greater than 12 month waiters from their active waiting list. This compares to 28 hospitals at the end of 2010 that had patients waiting over 12 months for treatment on the active waiting list.
Notwithstanding this significant progress to date it is recognised that it will be a significant challenge to maintain these achievements particularly in the initial few months of 2012, typically the busiest time for acute hospitals.
218 Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to have a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath admitted for a operation, which is urgently required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7289/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra219 Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to have a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath admitted for a operation, which is urgently required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7290/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra220 Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will have a operation carried out; if same will now be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7292/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 218, 219 and 220 together.
I am determined to address the issues which cause unacceptable delays in patients receiving treatment in our hospitals. In this regard I have established the Special Delivery Unit (SDU), which will work to unblock access to acute services by dramatically improving the flow of patients through the system, and by streamlining waiting lists, including referrals from GPs. The SDU is working closely with its partner agencies — mainly the HSE and the NTPF.
As a priority, public hospitals were instructed to ensure that, by the end of 2011, they had no patients waiting more than 12 months for treatment. I can confirm that the vast majority of hospitals achieved this objective. During 2012 the SDU will support hospitals in the delivery of a 9 month maximum wait time for inpatient or daycase surgery
As these are service matters, they have been referred to the HSE for direct reply. Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he/she would be in the best position to take the matter up with the consultant and facility involved.
