Referral rates still too low, says treatment fund chief

As the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) treats its 50,000th patient this month, referral rates from some hospitals around the State are still far too low, according to chief executive Pat O'Byrne.

The western area continues to have a strong rate of referral to the fund, with more than 6,500 public inpatients removed from waiting lists in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon and treated since its establishment in 2002.

Up to 4,500 patients have been removed from waiting lists at University College Hospital Galway and Merlin Park Hospital alone and referred on for treatment to private hospitals in Galway, Mullingar and Limerick.

There are currently 1,595 people waiting more than three months for treatment at UCHG, but 1,534 have already been taken off the list by the fund this year.

This compares to hospitals such as Beaumont in Dublin, where there are 1,674 patients who have been waiting more than three months. Only 218 have been referred to the treatment purchase fund this year.

At Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin , where there are 833 children on the waiting list, only 131 have been referred.

There are 3,008 patients who have been waiting more than three months in the northwest area at Letterkenny and Sligo general hospitals, where only 410 patients have been referred to the NTPF this year.

Mr O'Byrne said in Galway yesterday there were hospitals which could be referring a lot more patients to the fund. He welcomed the call by the HSE to have the rights of such patients enshrined in legislation.

"I am delighted to say that in the case of Cork University Hospital, which we criticised earlier this year, 1,000 patients have been referred to the NTPF's out-patient initiative over the last few weeks and I hope this will continue," he said.

Patients who have been waiting more than three months for an operation can phone lo-call 1890-720-820 to see if they are eligible.