Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes.

I have been working on the issue of private hospitals. I will ask the Secretary General to write to the Deputy in response to his queries in this regard. As I have said previously in the Dáil, there is merit in what the Deputy is saying. I know there is merit in it because my officials and I have met representatives of the Private Hospitals Association. We will document that for the Deputy. I will mention some of the challenges that exist. We have to acknowledge that many private hospitals do not have 24-7 accident and emergency departments, intensive care facilities or critical care units. Many of them provide episodic care to those with defined conditions, rather than those who turn up with emergencies. We are using them as part of our waiting list initiative. Their use is likely to increase in the context of the reactivation of the National Treatment Purchase Fund. They are also being used in the context of some of the winter initiative funding in areas like scoliosis, orthopaedics and spinal surgery. I will give an example of public-private collaboration under the winter initiative. Under a collaboration between the Mater public and private hospitals, respiratory patients can go directly to the private hospital rather than the public hospital. We will send the Deputy details of this in our letter. We are also trying to pursue a public-private collaboration under the winter initiative with Charter Medical's minor injuries service in Smithfield. That will commence in December. These are pilot schemes.