Zelda247

Our local hospital Tralee General has now 8,000 people on waiting lists to see Consultants. My husband was referred last October and still has not got an appointment, they say there might be one this November or maybe early next year, something to bear in mind if you are considering moving to Ireland and can't afford private healthcare.

Moses2013

Not nice, but it should be mentioned that you should always check waiting lists before booking an appointment, or let's say your GP should of done this. It's been mentioned before that people can use the Cross Border scheme and even waiting lists are published online.Cross-Border Healthcare Directive


The NTPF have waiting lists here National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF)


The NTPF is a corporate body with functions and responsibilities as set out under Statutory Instrument 179 - National Treatment Purchase Fund (Establishment) Order, 2004 and the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act (2009).
All public hospitals have the responsibility to ensure they meet the maximum waiting time guarantees for their patients. For patients requiring admission to hospital these are:

• Maintaining an 8 month maximum wait time target for adults
• Maintaining a 20 week maximum wait time target for paediatrics
• Maintaining a 13 week maximum wait time target for GI endoscopy

I would advise to contact them, as targets have not been met. Maybe it does make sense to use cross border now and drive 5 hours to Derry, as it's still better than waiting for months.

Zelda247

Thanks Moses.

Zelda247

Moses.... my husband looked into this and says it only applies once you have seen a consultant and need treatment. As I say we have been waiting for our 1st appointment to see a consultant since last Oct and when we phoned the hospital they said we may not get the appt before the end of 2016.

mikelincs

Same here in the UK, the time starts when you get the appointment.

Zelda247

I hope you don't have to wait over a year to get an appointment in the first place.

jonboy

What have you or your husband done to "encourage" the the managers of the service to review their response to his (your husbands) situation?

Zelda247

We have had our GP write letters to the hospital, contacted our local TD and he has asked the hospital if there can be any possibility that the appt can be made but no joy with any of the above.

jonboy

Perhaps try the personal, direct approach. Write to the TD yourself, explain the situation and follow it up with a phone call and a personal visit to them, persist. Find out who the hospital manager is and do the same. Who the consultant is at the hospital and let him/her be aware of the situation and ask for a reply with their reasoning for such a delay. Become someone they are very much aware of. If there is a patients advocacy service see if they can give you advice. It is too easy for large institutions to fob people off but I have seen the persistent people get the best deal out of them.

Moses2013

Well said and for them it's very easy if nobody complains and isn't persistent.
Managers and clinics have to meet targets, otherwise they face charges. I have a friend who works for a private clinic and they often do operations for the public hospital. It's far cheaper for the public hospital to pay the private clinic before they end up having to pay huge fines. Of course they won't do it if people are happy to wait. If Zelda247 would complain as much as she does on this forum, I'm sure she'd see some sort of progress.

Zelda247

But we have contacted our TD personally and he contacted the hospital on our behalf but they said they only have 1 Orthopaedic Consultant so we must wait to get on his appt list.

Zelda247

I get what you are saying but the reality is there is 8,000 on the list and what would happen if everyone took that approach.

Moses2013

But you never know If he actually tried his best???? This was a few years ago in Norway and i's the same in Ireland:


Frustrated patients in Oslo who find themselves stuck on hospital waiting lists have clearly discovered that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Their success at demanding their rights and jumping the queue has set off an ethical dilemma and yet another political uproar for Health Minister Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen.
The latest controversy erupted late last week, when TV2 reported how patients aware of their rights to obtain treatment within a certain time frame managed to gain priority ahead of others on the waiting list. By threatening to seek treatment at another hospital anywhere in the country, or even at private clinics, the state-run hospitals to which they’re assigned faced higher costs since they’d have to pay for the off-site treatment anyway.
The patients could then suddenly be granted the operation or treatment they’d been demanding at their local hospital, albeit at the expense of fellow patients in the queue but at a significant cost-savings to society as a whole. One clinic boss at Oslo University Hospital has claimed the so-called “tricks” used by patients and hospital administrators to get around waiting lists is economically responsible because it saves money.

Zelda247

You are so lucky to have private health care Moses.

Moses2013

Well even private healthcare doesn't guarantee you better treatment and no waiting lists. Know people who are now cancelling their policies because of cross border healthcare, because why pay when you have access to all public hospitals in Ireland and Europe. Private is maybe good when you want a separate room etc.