Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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490. To ask the Minister for Health the avenues of complaint available for persons mistreated in a private hospital; the controls in place regarding standards of care in private hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25865/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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At present, the Department of Health has no role in relation to addressing individual complaints which may arise following treatment provided by a private hospital. However, it is open to the complainant to discuss their concerns with their private healthcare provider. In addition the complainant can refer their concerns to the appropriate Regulatory Body for the particular healthcare professional involved in their care. Doctors, Nurses, Health and Social Care Professionals and others are required to be registered with their relevant professional body which in turn oversees the maintenance of professional standards.

As the Deputy will be aware, work is currently underway in my department on legislative proposals relating to the development of a Health Information and Patient Safety Bill for health care facilities. It will provide for the extension of the remit of Health Information and Quality Authority to set and monitor standards in private hospitals, including the management of complaints. The Health Information and Patient Safety Bill has recently under gone pre-legislative scrutiny with the Oireachtas Health Committee.

Hospitals need to take complaints and their management very seriously, as they provide an opportunity for the healthcare facility to learn and improve. My Department is also in the process of undertaking a public consultation on the development of a Patient Safety Complaints and Advocacy Policy. We are seeking the opinion of the public and encourage everyone to complete the questionnaire which is available on the Department's website. The information received through this consultation will inform the National Patient Safety Complaints and Advocacy Policy.

The Department is also continuing to develop the Draft General Scheme of the Patients Safety Licensing Bill, which will introduce a regulatory regime for all hospitals, public and private.