Harney to discuss A&E with hospitals' executives

The Tánaiste will today meet the chief executives of the Dublin hospitals to discuss accident and emergency services, one of her four main priorities as Minister for Health.

Outlining her goals to the Dáil, Ms Harney promised "additional resources with radical reform", and said she would target A&E units and step-down facilities for elderly patients in acute beds.

As part of reducing hospital waiting lists, she may extend the remit of the National Treatment Purchase Fund, which provides private treatment for public patients who have been waiting more than six months.

The Minister also promised to extend the income thresholds for medical cards, and said she would prioritise oncology services.

Standing in for the Taoiseach on Leaders' questions, the Tánaiste also said there would be an audit of lands of all Departments, which could be sold to fund health services and to provide social and affordable housing.

The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, referred to an ESRI report, which showed Ireland's health service lagging in 21st place out of 22 OECD countries in a number of areas.

Mr Kenny said "the Government is now in its eighth year and has spent €44 billion on the health service but the ESRI report suggests that the achievements have been almost negligible and are certainly nothing to boast about".

He cited the case of a constituent who came into his office in Castlebar "with a bag of blood and urine attached to his leg. He is on a nine-year waiting list for urology services in the Mayo General Hospital and he will also have to wait 18 months before the consultant in Galway will be able to see him."

Some of Ms Harney's supporters had referred to her as a "kind of Messiah, come to resurrect the health service from complete disintegration", but, he asked: "How can we be sure this is not just another false dawn?"

Ms Harney replied that "I am no Messiah. There is no magic wand and I have no silver bullet." She warned that the Government could not continue to put more and more money into the health services without "serious reform".

Referring to A&E services, she said it "is unacceptable that people have to spend upwards of 12 hours on a trolley before they are admitted to a bed in an acute hospital".

A "second ambition of mine is to reduce waiting lists. In that context, the National Treatment Purchase Fund is making a major impact having treated 19,000 people to date. I want to continue to fund and support the fund, perhaps by extending its remit, because it is having a major impact through the use of facilities in the independent sector in Ireland and elsewhere to treat patients who have been waiting a long time." It was the "Government's top priority" to "accompany additional resources with radical reform".

The Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, asked about the sale of lands at psychiatric hospitals and the commitment that the funds would be used for psychiatric services.

Referring to the sale at St Loman's hospital in the Minister's constituency, for €31 million, he said that only €15 million had been given to psychiatric services.

Ms Harney said there would be an audit of "what we can generally sell in the country" and the resources put into health care, including mental health with "one proviso. We also have commitments on social and affordable housing."