SAFETY CHECK: Cuts in health service must undergo patient safety analysis

ANY financial cuts in the health service must go through a patient safety analysis before they are implemented, patient advocate Rebecca O’Malley has urged.

The Tipperary mother-of-three became an advocate for better standards of patient safety and a more quality-assured service after being wrongly given the all-clear for breast cancer by a Cork Hospital.

Ms O’Malley, who underwent a mastectomy in London in 2006 after developing invasive breast cancer, is to raise her concerns about the Health Service Executive’s e1 billion budget shortfall with HSE chief executive Prof Brendan Drumm and Health Minister Mary Harney.

“As a strong advocate for better standards of patient safety and a more quality-assured health service, I believe that many people will share my concerns and are wondering how such cutbacks will affect their own safety and the safety of their family,” she said.

She said it was difficult to see how drastic cuts to the budget of what might already be considered an under-funded service would not have a direct effect on patient safety.

Ms O’Malley said any cost cutting exercise had to be very carefully undertaken and analysed so that the true effects could be established, with decisions made after appropriate consultation.

“We now need a commitment from the HSE that such an objective analysis will be undertaken in respect of each and every proposed cutback and the results of each analysis will then be made available for public scrutiny.”

And, if there was a proven need for cutting back, the process needed to be completely transparent so that people and their politicians were fully aware of the potential ramifications.