HSE failing to meet a third of targets, finds corporate report

THE HSE is failing to meet almost a third of the targets it has set itself, with emergency-department waiting times, staff absenteeism and primary care team levels officially under-performing across the country.

The conclusions have been made in the health authority’s own 2008-2011 corporate plan, which set performances in the first half of this year with earlier targets for the system.

According to the HSE document, while the health service has made some progress in 23 of 30 targeted sections, it is continuing to fall below expectations in almost one in every three areas. Emergency department waiting times are among the worst performance indicators, according to the report, with just 13 out of 31 hospitals across the country meeting the HSE imposed six-hour waiting time targets.

In June 2007, a HSE taskforce report had insisted this target would be met over time, after an interim maximum trolley wait ceiling of 12 hours was imposed by mid-2008.

However, despite this claim, the HSE corporate plan document states that average waits from registration to emergency department discharge show eight hospitals – Beaumont, Blanchardstown, St James’s, Loughlinstown, Galway University Hospital, Mercy University Hospital, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, and Naas Hospital – are far in excess of even this 12-hour ceiling.

At Beaumont, the HSE document has confirmed the average emergency department wait is 24 hours.

The report has also found that while staff absenteeism rates dropped in the first half of 2009, to 4.6%, this is still above the level targeted in the corporate plan.

Earlier this week it emerged the HSE is paying €11 million to those on long-term leave, with one worker paid €1.3 million since going on leave in 2003.

The establishment of new primary care teams intended to offer more care to patients outside the hospital setting has also been highlighted as requiring “focused attention”.

There are 112 primary care teams operating across the country. But, the HSE has previously predicted that 210 would be in place by the end of this year.

Among the other issues raised by the corporate plan document are that targeted ambulance journey lengths are failing to be met.

The number of patients reached within 19 minutes is at just 72.70%, despite the HSE seeking to adopt an eventual target of 95% within the time limit.