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No decision is expected on Emergency Department charges for cancer patients this year.
In November Health & Social Care u-turned on its plans to charge cancer patients who required out of hours treatment in the ED after a public outcry.
The committee was keen that all patients with life-limiting or chronic illnesses, like heart disease and kidney failure, were charged the same in these circumstances, and in rolling back on its initial plans confirmed it would carry out a review but gave no timeframe for the work.
“The Committee announced in November that it will carry out a review to see whether it is financially achievable to treat patients with life-limiting illnesses equitably when receiving treatment in the Emergency Department,” said Health & Social Care President Al Brouard.
Pictured: The Emergency Department at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.
“This is a substantial piece of work that involves examining many thousands of Emergency Department records to ensure detailed information is available before any decision is made. This work will continue throughout 2023.
“The Committee remains absolutely committed to providing services that are equitable for all patients and, as we previously stated, difficult decisions will need to be taken as we seek to balance the expectations of islanders with the island’s challenging financial position and global staffing challenges within health and care.”
Last month Deputy Rob Prow asked questions about the out of hours ED charging policy.
Pictured: Deputy Rob Prow.
“I welcome and congratulate HSC’s revision of their policy as they have now outlined and I look forward to their more comprehensive review, while understanding the financial constraints on HSC’s budget.”
He had urged HSC to ensure the review considered the financially vulnerable and was held in consultation with third sector stakeholders.
HSC it would be a matter for Employment & Social Security to advise in respect of financial vulnerability.
“There are a number of social security measures already in place to support people who may be unable to work for a variety of reasons, including illness, and this includes financial assistance with medical expenses where the requirements of the Income Support Scheme are met,” said Deputy Brouard in his response to Deputy Prow.
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