INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF WAITING LISTS STILL NEEDED
Labour spokesperson on health Alan Kelly TD has said that an independent review of waiting list figures, how they are compiled, and the accuracy of the data still needs to be carried out. An internal audit by the NTPF is not sufficient.
Deputy Kelly said:
“The Minister needs to commission an independent review of how waiting lists are being compiled, and audit the accuracy of the data being presented.
“An internal NTPF process is simply not good enough as for 14 years the public and successive Governments have been misled.
“People have lost faith in the accuracy of the figures and whether they can trust the health system when it reports how many people are waiting for procedures.
“The practises the programme uncovered with people being placed on the waiting list at the wrong date, and also written out to to confirm their ongoing need for a procedure shows how confidence in the waiting list system is at rock bottom for patients and the public.
“The ‘Living for the List’ programme is a watershed moment for our health system, and we must restore confidence in how figures are compiled. The only way to do that is with an independent review.
“Yesterday evening the Minister announced that the NTPF will audit practises in individual hospitals, and that it will carry out a review of international best practise on waiting list data publication models.
“Frankly, that is not good enough. It would be much better if the Minister brought in an international expert to examine how the NTPF, HSE and individual hospitals are compiling their figures and the systems in place for managing waiting lists.
“As I said yesterday, people are tired of the lack of accountability in our health system, and an independent review that would probe all aspects of the system is now needed.”
“Minister Harris must take action to restore confidence.”
ENDS