Keith Swanick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after “That Seanad Éireann” and substitute:“noting:

- the very great distress and pain being suffered by people enduring long periods on hospital waiting lists;

- the fact that the long waiting times are further exacerbating the clinical conditions needing treatment thereby producing more pain and suffering; and

- that such long waits are not only intolerable and excruciating for the patients, they are also counterproductive and a waste of health service resources and lead to poorer clinical outcomes and increased mortality; and

further noting that:

- the monthly waiting list data published by the National Treatment Purchase Fund does not provide a full, true and accurate account of the number of patients needing scheduled treatment;

- that HealthLinks data could be used to give accurate data on those awaiting out-patient appointments nationally; and

- that such an incomplete account of the waiting lists diminishes the credibility and accountability of our public health services; and

recognising:

- the deplorable and dangerous overcrowding also being experienced in hospital emergency departments;

- the record number of patients waiting on trolleys, particularly the frail elderly;

- that such overcrowding results in further delays in scheduled hospital treatments and essential surgery thereby further worsening the waiting lists; and

- the comments by the Director General of the Health Service Executive (HSE) that, should the trend in presentations to emergency departments continue, all work will be emergency work and hospitals will be unable to accommodate elective work;

calls on the Government and the HSE to:

- hold accountable each hospital chief executive for the open disclosure of accurate data on waiting lists in each hospital;

- make transparent to the public the monthly progress from each hospital on waiting list figures giving specific detail on out-patient waiting lists, access to diagnostic waiting lists and elective surgery lists;

- ensure each hospital group presents monthly updates on waiting list progress of each hospital in its region making transparent the difference between those patients awaiting a clinical procedure or elective surgery or an appointment to be seen in an out-patient clinic;

- ensure each hospital review the scheduling and utilisation of out-patient clinic space;

- ensure that each clinical director meet with each and every consultant providing out-patient clinics and elective treatment to examine the scheduling of clinics and procedure lists to match scheduling to demand;

- schedule elective diagnostic investigations 7 days a week;

- schedule elective surgery 7 days a week;

- open without delay all ward beds that have been closed;

- expedite the bed capacity review and expand it to include a review of out-patient clinic capacity and utilisation;

- examine the potential for hospitals without 24/7 Emergency Departments to increase their elective work;

- direct the National Treatment Purchase Fund to publish all other waiting list data on a monthly basis as per the criteria used in the waiting lists currently published;

- utilise the existing Community Hospital network more efficiently to help prevent admissions to acute hospitals by facilitating direct admissions by GPs to these facilities, to facilitate post-operative discharges from acute hospitals and to work as an interface between acute sector and Fair Deal Scheme; and

- commit to upgrades of the Community Hospitals network to help alleviate pressure in General hospitals.”

Fianna Fáil shares the distress and anger so many people feel over the long times patients are waiting on lists. The waiting lists and waiting times have been on a steady upward trend for the past three years. New figures show that there are now more than 632,000 patients on all waiting lists. Fianna Fáil has long believed that we should reactivate the National Treatment Purchase Fund to purchase spare capacity from the private sector in order to reduce the number of public patients waiting for treatment in public hospitals. We secured agreement for this in the confidence and supply arrangement and will monitor its delivery. Fianna Fáil also believes that in the interests of transparency and public accountability, all waiting lists compiled by the NTPF should be published so that we have the most complete picture possible. Regarding the point that "such long waits are not only intolerable and excruciating for the patients, they are also counterproductive and a waste of health service resources and lead to poorer clinical outcomes and increased mortality", Dr. Emily O'Conor, head of the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine, agreed with this sentiment when she appeared before the health committee recently.

I reassure all Members of the House that as a Senator, local general practitioner and medical director of Belmullet Hospital, I will continue to work tirelessly for the benefit of the patients and staff of that hospital.