Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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544. To ask the Minister for Health if, with regard to the 51 cancer patients who have so far been referred to Galway University Hospital following the suspension of chemotherapy services for all new referrals at Letterkenny University Hospital, including those who have yet to be referred whilst this suspension remains in place, all of the aforementioned referrals will be transferred back to undergo the remainder of their treatments at Letterkenny University Hospital in respect of those patients who shall require further chemotherapy treatment post the reinstatement of services at the facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7415/17]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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545. To ask the Minister for Health if, with regard to the 51 cancer patients who have so far been referred to Galway University Hospital following the suspension of chemotherapy services for all new referrals at Letterkenny University Hospital, including those who have yet to be referred whilst this suspension remains in place, all of the aforementioned referrals, who it has been identified will require radiotherapy treatment, will be granted access to the radiotherapy unit at Altnagelvin Area Hospital in Derry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7416/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 544 and 545 together.

The Deputy's questions relate to service delivery matters and accordingly I have asked the HSE to respond directly to him.

Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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546. To ask the Minister for Health as a result of the emergency department crisis nationwide, the number of days surgical day wards have been closed with trolleys from emergency departments being moved into these wards from September 2015 to January 2017; the number of hospitals engaging in this practice; if he can name the hospitals and the number of day surgeries and day procedures that have been cancelled from September 2015 to January 2017 as a result of this practice; the numbers of trolleys, broken down by hospital, that have been moved directly from emergency departments into these surgical day wards from September 2015 to January 2017; if the trolleys moved from emergency departments to surgical day wards were included in official trolley figures for that day; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7458/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Health Service Executive has escalation procedures which are operational during times of increased pressure in Emergency Departments (EDs). The underlying principle of these protocols is to ensure that safe care is provided to all patients at all times.

Cancellation of elective procedures can occur for a variety of exceptional reasons including cancellations because a bed or the clinical team are not available, cancellations by the patient or because the patient may not be fit for surgery at the time. In addition in times when our EDs are under pressure, and escalation procedures are in place, non-urgent elective procedures may be postponed. The HSE has indicated that 53,213 elective procedures were cancelled for a variety of reasons from September 2015 to the end of January 2017. I fully acknowledge the distress and inconvenience for patients and their families when elective procedures are cancelled.

The Deputy also requested information on whether trolleys moved from EDs to surgical day wards are included in official trolley figures. I would like to clarify that all trolleys, including those moved to wards, should be included in the official HSE TrolleyGar count. However if designated beds in other parts of the hospital, including those in surgical day wards, are used as surge capacity for ED patients, the patient is deemed to have been admitted as an in-patient and would not be recordedas a trolley wait.

The HSE intends to undertake a review of the Escalation Framework in the coming months to ensure its effectiveness.

As the further data requested relates to service issues, this request has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.