Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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493. To ask the Minister for Health if there is a policy for staff who oversee the completion and signatures on forms from patients in public hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16149/17]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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494. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which hospital staff obtain signatures for forms from the patients who hold private health insurance and received treatment in public beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16150/17]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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495. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that hospital staff are completing and filling in forms without the consent of patients and requesting them to sign those forms; if this is allowed under the existing policy and procedure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16151/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 493 to 495, inclusive, together.

Although a proportion of activity in public hospitals involves the provision of care to private patients, the core purpose of the system is to provide services for public patients. Government policy is to ensure there is equitable access for public patients, that the proportion of private activity is appropriately controlled and that the statutory charges for provision of services to private patients are collected by public hospitals.

When a patient is admitted to hospital, he/she has the option of being treated as a public or a private patient. A patient's status in this regard is determined in the first instance according to whether or not he/she chooses to waive his/her right to be eligible for public inpatient services and in doing so chooses to be admitted as the private patient of a consultant whose contract permits private practice.

All patients who opt to be treated privately in a public hospital are subject to charges, as provided for by the Health (Amendment) Act 2013. Detailed operational procedures in this regard, including arrangements in relation to patients who wish to avail of private health insurance to meet the costs due, are managed by the HSE. I have therefore asked the Executive to respond directly to the Deputy in relation to this aspect of the questions asked.