One of the State’s main children’s hospitals has defended its record on waiting lists after a report yesterday named it as one of three responsible for some 42 per cent of cases where patients were waiting more than 12 months for treatment.
The Children’s University Hospital, Temple Street, said it prioritises the patients on its waiting lists “in accordance to clinical need i.e. those with the greatest clinical need in comparison to those with less life-threatening conditions”.
The annual report of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) showed that Temple Street, along with Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, and Limerick Regional Hospital accounted for 42 per cent of patients waiting more than 12 months.
In a statement today, Lucy Nugent, clinical and patient services manager at Temple Street, said the hospital fully cooperates with the treatment fund, but that it was “limited to referring a quota of 200 cases in 2009 to the NTPF”.
“We do have capacity to refer more patients and are in negotiations with the NTPF to have this quota raised,” the statement said.
“Whilst we regularly validate our waiting lists and offer all eligible patients the option of treatment under the NTPF, a portion of these offers is declined as the patient’s families would prefer that they remain on the Temple Street waiting list. Where possible, Children’s University Hospital does run additional theatre sessions but we have limited capacity for same.”
The hospital said its waiting lists had grown due to an “increased demand for services both within our catchment area and nationally”.
“As always, the welfare of the children in our care is our priority and we will continue to strive to ensure that best practice is facilitated.”
The NTPF report revealed that more than 1,500 patients across the State had been waiting over 12 months for surgery at the end of last year.
When the NTPF was set up in 2002 to arrange private care for public patients waiting more than three months for treatment, patients were waiting two to five years for operations.