HSE bids to speed patients’ progress

AS part of an effort to tackle accident and emergency overcrowding, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has earmarked €6 million this year to speed patients’ progress through hospitals.

It will fund initiatives including spreading scheduled admissions over five days - contrary to the current practice of admitting patients at the weekend for surgery early in the week. It will also restrict the practice of admitting patients from outside Dublin to Dublin hospitals if surgery can be carried out in their area.

An additional €4.5m has been set aside for community intervention teams (CITs) with the aim of keeping patients who become ill in the community out of hospital. It will fast-track GP access to provision of basic care and social supports provided by home helps, nurses or a combination of both.

It is proposed that in 2006, CITs will be in place in Cork city, Dublin and Limerick city.

Some €1.7m has been earmarked for alcohol initiatives. Part of this will seek to address problems posed by patients presenting at A&Es with alcohol-related harm.

Other initiatives include:

* €5m to tackle spread of the MRSA superbug, including the appointment of antibiotic pharmacists and infection control nurses.

* €1.2m for chronic illness including self-care and management programmes for arthritis and diabetes.

* €2.76m to meet health and support needs of Ethnic Minority Communities including an improved interpretative service.

In total, €350m has been set aside by the HSE to fund a range of new health and social service projects.

A new group, the Strategic Planning and Reform Implementation Steering Group (SPRI), will drive the projects and monitor the impact of the funding.

HSE chief Professor Brendan Drumm said SPRI’s brief would to engage “with the many parts of the organisation, ensure national reform initiatives support each other and that their progress is evaluated using common criteria”.

In the coming months, it will make recommendations on a further €15m for strategic reform projects in 2006 which will address home and community supports to minimise referrals to hospitals and residential services this year.