Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

392. To ask the Minister for Health the percentage of serious reportable events currently being notified within 24 hours to a designated officer. [40948/16]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

393. To ask the Minister for Health the percentage of mandatory investigations commenced within 48 hours of the event occurring. [40949/16]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

394. To ask the Minister for Health the percentage of mandatory investigations currently completed within four months of notification of the event occurring. [40950/16]

Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

395. To ask the Minister for Health the percentage of reportable events in 2016 which have been reported within 30 days of occurrence to the designated officer. [40951/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 392 to 395, inclusive, together.

Serious Reportable Events (SREs) are serious, largely preventable patient safety incidents that should not occur if the available preventative measures have been implemented by healthcare providers. Some SREs may not be preventable but require examination to assess if safety can be improved.

The requirement to report on SREs through the National Incident Management System (NIMS) administered by the State Claims Agency was introduced by the HSE in March 2014 and the final list of SREs was published in January 2015.

Since January 2015 the number of SREs reported has been published as part of the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) monthly Performance Reports. This is being led by the Quality Assurance and Verification Division which was established in the HSE in late 2014.

A legal mandate for reporting of SREs is provided for in the Health Information and Patient Safety Bill. The General Scheme of the Health Information and Patient Safety Bill was published on 10 November 2015. This Bill was before the Joint Committee yesterday for pre-legislative scrutiny.

As the specific questions put down by the Deputy are service matters the questions have been referred out to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.