Written answers

Wednesday, 27 May 2020

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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629. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which the private hospital sector is being fully utilised to deal with all procedures throughout the Covid-19 health emergency; the extent to which patients with private health insurance have access to their consultant and or hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8190/20]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has approved a number of recommendations relating to protecting and maximising the delivery of essential time-critical non-Covid-19 care alongside Covid-19 care. On 5 May, NPHET agreed that its recommendation of 27 March, in regard to the pausing of all non-essential health services should be replaced, in relation to acute care, with a recommendation that delivery of acute care be determined by appropriate clinical and operational decision making.

Guidance on patient pathways to mitigate the risks associated with the delivery of non-covid care, for patients and healthcare workers, and support safe delivery of care has been developed under the auspices of the Expert Advisory Subgroup of NPHET (EAG) and approved in principle by NPHET. The HSE advise that the latest occupancy data for inpatients in private hospitals indicates that overall in-patient occupancy has increased to 51%.

The HSE advise that preliminary figures show that as of 25th May, 7,605 patients had been discharged from private hospitals having undergone an inpatient procedure since the arrangement between the HSE and private hospitals came into force. In the same period 26,007 daycase procedures took place in private hospitals, as well as 35,073 diagnostic appointments and 20,407 outpatient appointments.

Under the terms agreed with the hospitals, provision has been made to ensure continuity of care for patients who were in a private hospital or receiving a course of treatment when the arrangement was agreed. These patients will be treated as public patients and will be prioritised based on clinical needs, as with any other public patient. It is intended that each patient will remain under the care of their existing consultant, where that can be facilitated and if that is not possible, they will be transferred to the care of another consultant as a public patient.

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