Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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1068. To ask the Minister for Health to outline the policies in place to address repeated cancellations of surgeries for patients and provide information on when these patients will expect to undergo their procedures (details supplied). [2263/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I fully acknowledge the distress and inconvenience for patients and their families when hospital appointments and procedures are rescheduled.

While every effort is made to avoid postponements, they can happen for a variety of reasons, including capacity issues due to increased scheduled and unscheduled care demand, and unforeseen circumstances that may impact a service.

Patient safety remains at the centre of all hospital activity and elective care scheduling. To ensure services are provided in a safe, clinically aligned and prioritised way, hospitals follow HSE clinical guidelines and protocols.

Postponed hospital appointments and procedures are, rescheduled as early as possible with priority given to patients requiring time-sensitive and urgent treatment.

In relation to the particular queries raised, as these are service matters I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.