New Patients First group calls for "truthful" budget and pledges campaign until next general election

Ireland’s health system is in crisis and requires immediate surgery, according to a new group undertaking a nationwide campaign demanding that patients have more of a say in the system.

Patients First is comprised of existing groups such as the Irish Patients Association, Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, and Patient Opinion, and will hold a string of public regional meetings, beginning tonight in Limerick.

Yesterday in Dublin’s Buswells Hotel, spokespeople for Patients First said the campaign was not about “calling for an open chequebook” but was instead looking for a refocusing on how the system can deliver better for patients.

Tonight’s meeting at the South Court Hotel in Limerick will be the first of a series of meetings around the country, taking in Galway, Tallaght, Letterkenny, Cork, and Blanchardstown.

At the latter meeting, local TDs — including Tánaiste Joan Burton and Health Minister Leo Varadkar — will be invited.

Stephen McMahon of the Irish Patients Association, who is leading Patients First, said Mr Varadkar had actually helped the situation with his recent comments about the upcoming budget.

“We would certainly support what he is trying to do,” Mr McMahon said. “It is fresh air to have an honest, open, and transparent budget.”

He said public patients were waiting for lengthy periods to get an appointment with consultants and MRI scans at a time when there was “no accountability” for how much of the health budget is spent.

While Mr McMahon said the campaign was about more than calling for additional resources, Dr John Duddy of the Irish Medical Organisation said the cutbacks were adversely affecting overcrowding in hospitals and said the pendulum had now swung from doing “more with less” to doing “less with less”.

Mr McMahon has called for “an honest, truthful budget” next month. He said public representatives were invited to attend all the meetings around the country to hear first-hand the experiences of those using the system.

The group has pinpointed six areas which it believes will improve patient safety and care:

nA budget that must protect the health service and patient care;

nAn independent, transparent, and free feedback mechanism that allows patients, carers, and family members the opportunity to share their stories;

nSafe staffing levels based on patient dependency alone;

nLegislated requirements to publicly display daily staffing levels;

nSimilar requirements to publicly consult and assess all cost-improvement plans;

nA national long-term strategy for patient involvement and engagement.

Mr McMahon said the meetings were just the start of the campaign, one which will lead right up to the next general election.

-www.patientsfirst.ie