HSE West to change taxi system for patients

THE “indiscriminate” arrangements for transporting dialysis and cancer patients for treatment in the west of Ireland is to end.

John Hennessy, director of operations for HSE West, declared the policy aim as it emerged that the spend on transporting those patients for treatment is almost 100% over-budget for the first five months of this year.

HSE assistant national director for finance, Liam Minihan, stated that the service is €920,000 over its €1 million budget for the first five months of the year.

Currently, the service brings 456 dialysis patients and 125 cancer patients in the west for treatment.

Addressing members at the HSE West forum, Mr Hennessy said that a HSE review of the service “will be focused and will be targeted on patients who have a genuine transport need as opposed to indiscriminate transport arrangements where everyone who presents will be transferred.”

Chief ambulance officer, Paudie O’Riordan said that the budget has remained static over the years, but that the number of patients using the service has increased.

Chair of the HSE West forum, Cllr Padraig Conneely said: “This was a very special type of transport where you had mostly taxis collecting patients in very, very isolated rural parts of this west area: Donegal, Mayo and Galway. The patients are handled with very gentle loving care by those people who would bring them. I would think if you were going to discontinue this type of transport, it is wrong and very wrong. You cannot run a health system on economics.”

Mr Hennessy remarked: “You can’t spend what you don’t have. That is the reality of it.

“There are huge amounts of money being spent on patient transport and there are different eligibility criteria in different parts of the HSE West area.

“The arrangements that are in place are pretty indiscriminate to my mind in that taxi arrangements are arranged by hospitals as the case arises or presents.

“There isn’t any assessment of requirement of need or ability to provide one’s own transport. What we have to do is look at options and alternatives…

“I can assure members that the days of indiscriminate patient transport arrangements are in all likelihood over. The measures will be put in place to protect patients who require transport to get treatment.”

Mr Hennessy said that a review on the service will be concluded this week.

“We would like the service to be equitable, fair and efficient. Those terms couldn’t apply to the current arrangements in place.

“Why wasn’t this done before now is a very good question, but the financial reality we are in now is forcing us to look at every line of expenditure.”

In response, Cllr Conneely said: “I’m happy that people that need the service will get it.”