Serious Defeciencies in Public Health System (esp A&E).

[truthseeker]

Yes, even if you have private health insurance, you are treated the same as a public patient in the public hospitals.

An ambulance will take a patient to the nearest public hospital and will not take patients to private hospitals nor will the private hospitals accept patients coming in in public ambulances.

So if you have private health insurance and can make it by car to one of the private hospitals that have an A & E facility (eg. Beacon and Blackrock Clinic), you will be seen within minutes in a clean, efficient hospital with excellent in-patient care.

The fee for the initial A & E consultation at the Beacon is €120 and if you're admitted, then your private health insurance kicks in according to the level of cover.

The A & E charge in the public hospitals is €100 if you don't have a GP referral letter and, unless you have chest pain or difficulty breathing, you can expect to wait for many hours before being seen by a doctor.

+1

But id argue the chest pain/breathing difficulties, on the night in Vincents which I posted about another man arrived just before my father in law, by ambulance also, with a suspected heart attack (his second incidentally so himself and family knew the symptoms) and after 8 hours still hadnt seen a doctor - chest pain notwithstanding.

It can depend on the A&E and time you go also. I brought a friend who broke her ankle to a VHI Swiftcare clinic, and she was seen within minutes and we were back home within a couple of hours, casted etc... She preferred to go there rather than a public A&E despite it costing more. But 2 hours versus possibly 24 hours - it was worth it to her. We met someone in there with a broken finger who had travelled from Naas, rather than go to a public A&E. My VHI actually gives me 5 visits to it at €50 euro so Id definitely use it if I had a break or needed stitches etc... but they do not handle anything to do with the heart or stroke etc...so for anything very serious, you are back to a public A&E if you call an ambulance.

 

[Bronte]

An ambulance will take a patient to the nearest public hospital and will not take patients to private hospitals nor will the private hospitals accept patients coming in in public ambulances.

.

Why not? It sounds incredibly stupid.

 

[delgirl]

Why not? It sounds incredibly stupid.

Dublin City and county is divided into 6 defined catchment areas for accident and emergency cover by the two ambulance services.

If an ambulance is called (999 service) patients will be brought to the public hospital assigned to the catchment area of the incident (not always the nearest).

The six areas are Southeast - St Vincent's, Elm Park; Southwest - AMNCH, Tallaght; South City centre - St. James', Rialto. Northeast - Beaumount hospital; Northwest - JCM, Blanchardstown and North City centre - Mater hospital, NCR.

We live in Wicklow and have in the past tried to bypass Loughlinstown Hospital in an ambulance by requesting to go to Vincent's, but were told that, as Wicklow residents, the ambulance had to bring us to Loughlinstown.

You have no choice in the matter and that's why if you're able to, and have private health insurance, go by car to one of the private hospitals that has and A & E Department.

The Blackrock Clinic have recently extended their A & E Service hours:- Monday to Friday 9am – 6pm, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays 10am – 5pm.

The Beacon Hospital is closest for us and easily accessed from the M50. Have been there twice to A & E with my son and a friend and found the treatment, speed, cleanliness, expertise, etc. etc. second to none.

 

[dereko1969]

Why not? It sounds incredibly stupid.

Because they're not a bleeding taxi service, they're an emergency transport service that have particular areas to operate in.

 

[Birroc]

[broken link removed]

This actually happened. I heard it from a porter who was asked to hide the trolleys in the corridor in an unused ward and then move them back.

As long as HSE management look good, thats all that matters...

 

[Bronte]

Because they're not a bleeding taxi service, they're an emergency transport service that have particular areas to operate in.

Well why shouldn't they be run like a taxi service. If a privately insured person wants to go to a private hospital wouldn't it be better for the public system that he goes to the private hospital taking away from the strain in public hospitals? Or am I missing something here.

Does the VHI etc not pay for the ambulance service as part of one's insurance.

Also does it not make sense for someone to be brought to a hospital that has all one's records?

Apart from Dublin it's not like anyone has much choice in hospitals in any case.

Another question, if the private hospitals are running such great A&E services, would it be cheaper for the HSE to send more patients there or not?

 

[Bronte]

We live in Wicklow and have in the past tried to bypass Loughlinstown Hospital in an ambulance by requesting to go to Vincent's, but were told that, as Wicklow residents, the ambulance had to bring us to Loughlinstown.

Why did you not want to go to Loughlinstown? Is Vincent's better? And if yes why so?

 

[ajapale]

Never heard of Loughlinstown, but I have heard of St Vincents Hospital and it is one of the largest and comprehensive hospitals in the country.

 

[delgirl]

Why did you not want to go to Loughlinstown? Is Vincent's better? And if yes why so?

As St. Vincent's is a University hospital, affiliated to UCD, the diagnostic standards are very high with all the specialities coverd by professors or experts in the various fields. If you have to go to a public hospital, better to choose a good one.

My OH had just spent 5 weeks in St. Vincent's with a mystery illness in isolation. He was discharged and became very ill again a few days later with chest pain and difficulty breathing. This is the main reason we wanted to go back to Vincent's and, as soon as they had established in Loughlinstown that he wasn't having a heart attack, I took him by car to Vincent's A & E. This was before they had A & E services in either the Beacon or Blackrock Clinic.

Loughlinstown Hospital, aka St. Columcille's Hospital, is a small hospital with poor facilities and wouldn't be my first choice for anyone who is very ill.