21 Ean 2016, 12:59
The Joint Committee on Health and Children has today published its Report on the Role of Advocacy in Health and Social Care Services in Ireland.
21st January 2016
The cross-party Report aims to explain the role of advocates in an Irish health service context; examines different models of advocacy; and makes some recommendations to improve access to advocacy services for Irish patients and users of social services.
Some of the recommendations include:
• The lack of statutory powers for advocates can prevent them from accessing or supporting vulnerable clients. Consideration should be given to commencing the relevant sections of the Citizens’ Information Act 2007 to resolve this issue.
• The HSE should consider giving more formal recognition to the role of advocates who are working to support vulnerable clients.
• Elected representatives have experienced difficulties making representations to hospitals and other health services on behalf of constituents, and these issues should be resolved.
• The Committee supports moves to extend the remit of the Office of the Ombudsman to clinical cases. Ideally, there should be a single streamlined pathway for complaints in the Irish health service. The Committee supports the further development of the www.healthcomplaints.ie website to help achieve this.
• Any new patient advocacy service should be independent of the Health Service Executive. Funding should be ring-fenced and independent of the service provider to support its activities and to ensure its independence.
• A Code of Practice for advocacy services should be developed by agreement between key national stakeholders. This would ensure that all professional and voluntary advocates operate to the same ethical and legal standards.
Committee Chair, Jerry Buttimer TD says: “The Joint Committee on Health and Children acknowledges the important role that advocates can play in supporting decision-making by people with disabilities, vulnerable patients and users of health and social services. Last November, we held a meeting dedicated to the discussion of advocacy in the Irish health service. Stakeholders identified a number of barriers which can prevent access to patients and other clients.
“The report we are launching today aims to address some of these barriers, in order to safeguard the rights of vulnerable individuals. We are recommending that the various bodies involved work closely to ensure that an independent Irish advocacy service adheres to the highest professional standards.”
Access the Report here.
ENDS/
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Committee Membership:
Chairman: Jerry Buttimer
Deputies:
Catherine Byrne, Ciara Conway (Vice-Chair), Regina Doherty, Peter M Fitzpatrick, Seamus Healy, Billy Kelleher, Eamonn Maloney, Clare Daly, Sandra McLellan, Joe Costello, Dan Neville, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin and Robert Troy
Senators:
Colm Burke, Thomas Byrne, John Crown, John Gilroy, Imelda Henry and Jillian Van Turnhout