Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister for Health, I thank Senator Burke for raising this important issue and for the opportunity to update the House on the issue of hospital referrals and catchment areas. It is important to note that there is no statutory basis for hospitals imposing catchment areas. However, they have been part of custom and practice within the health service in general for many years. The Minister has been advised by the HSE that it has not altered or changed its national policy on catchment areas. In particular where hospitals traditionally accepted a referral volume to its hospitals from a geographical area, it is expected to continue this acceptance within certain volume referral limits. Furthermore, hospitals from time to time advise GPs on the most efficient referral routes for particular treatments if their capacity in a region increases due to the recruitment of a new consultant or changes due to the reorganisation of clinics or services across a network of hospitals.

In relation to the specific issue of dermatological services for patients from the Wexford area, University Hospital Waterford provides the catchment area referral services for dermatological patients within the south east, which includes Wexford General Hospital. The Minister has been advised by the HSE that there have been some staffing challenges in the dermatology department at University Hospital Waterford and, as a result, the hospital is temporarily unable to accept routine dermatology referrals. Efforts are continuing to recruit replacements for the vacant consultant dermatologist posts at Waterford. An interim arrangement is in place with South Infirmary Victoria Hospital in Cork to maintain provision of services for patients from the south east pending resolution of the staffing issues at Waterford. In addition to this arrangement, University Hospital Waterford is ensuring an ongoing and close linkage with the dermatology department at St Vincent's Hospital and, from 13 November, Waterford will also have a weekly attendance from a consultant dermatologist from Cork who will oversee provision of a service to non-urgent cases in the system. The hospital is also endeavouring to make arrangements with other hospitals in the surrounding regions to take some of the dermatology patients. The foregoing arrangements will be subject to review. The HSE is working with all hospitals to target specific improvements in waiting lists and times across all specialties, including dermatology. The HSE acknowledges that some hospitals will not be in a position to provide capacity for a referral from outside its local geographical area. All referrals are prioritised in line with the HSE's outpatient management guidelines to ensure appropriate scheduling of urgent referrals.