Recent changes applied to the eligibility criteria for Non Emergency Patient Transport in the South East is causing patients to miss scheduled appointments with consultants in Waterford and Dublin hospitals, it has been claimed.
A daily bus service that transports patients to regular medical appointments has been forced to turn away patients who have been using the service for a number of years, as a result of the change in rules.
Last week the new eligibility criteria was implemented, which stipulates that the bus service will only be made available where the patient’s medical condition impacts on their mobility to such an extent that they would be unable to access public or private transport to access healthcare.
It is reported that patients are being informed by Wexford General Hospital that to avail of the free service the patient needs to be wheelchair bound.
This newspaper has been informed of three separate cases, whereby patients were told last week that after years of taking the bus to vital medical appointments they are no longer permitted to do so.
One patient was a 74-year-old cancer survivor who is also visually impaired. The pensioner was due to present at Waterford Regional Hospital for treatment to address an on-going problem with cataracts last week when she was informed of the change in criteria.
The second patient was a 61 year old woman who has had two knees and one hip replaced to date. She visits a consultant rheumatologist at Waterford Regional Hospital for treatment of severe rheumatoid arthritis, which will see her have a second hip replaced later this year.
The third patient was a 17-year-old girl who has been required to attend St James’ Hospital, Dublin, on a monthly basis since she was four months old.
She was born with a cleft pallet, which has warranted advanced medical orthodontistry work right throughout her childhood and adolescence.
The girl’s mother became distressed when she realised on Monday of last week that her daughter would not be allowed to travel on the bus, which is her sole means of transport to these medical appointments.
She contacted local representative Cllr Anthony Kelly who travelled to the hospital on the morning in question and lobbied with the bus driver to allow the girl to travel, seeing as there were seats free on the bus.
On this occasion she was allowed to travel, however Wexford General Hospital has informed her mother that she does not meet the criteria and that she will need to make her own travel arrangements for her next appointment.
“I was told that I would have to use public transport to get her there. Because she is a minor obviously I need to travel also, but it would be a difficult journey for her to have to take the bus into Busaras and then take a Dublin Bus or Luas to the hospital and back to the city centre to take the bus home,” explained the mother.
She continued: “Sometimes after the treatment, which is quite painful, she can feel groggy from the anaesthetic and that journey would be very difficult for her…it seems unnecessary when the bus will be travelling from the hospital directly back to Wexford anyway. If there are spaces on the bus, I don’t understand why we cannot just use the service, which we’ve used for years now at this point…she’s been on it so long she’s become used to it and knows the other patients on it. It’s traumatic enough for a teenage girl to go through what she has to, this will just make it more difficult for her.”
The mother and daughter do not qualify for the National Free Travel Scheme, which is one of the questions asked in the new application form for the hospital transport service.
The cost of the bus fare for an adult and student is also €27 and €18 for a return ticket; the return Luas/Dublin Bus tickets for the trip from Busaras to St James’ would also average at €10. According to this mother, it is an added expense that on her part time wages would be difficult to meet every four weeks, which is how often the girl needs to attend these appointments.
“You’re talking about almost £60 on top of the fact that I am already down a day’s wages every day we have to head up there, it just doesn’t make sense why we have to do this when there are empty seats on that bus now.”
Adding to the condemnation of the service was a 74-year-old patient, who claims that she is simply not physically able to make the journey to Waterford Regional Hospital via the public transport.
Travelling aboard a Bus Eireann service patients are required to disembark the bus in Waterford’s City Centre and from there walk along the quay’s to the bus stop for the service which travels to the hospital.
“I was told that I have to do this from now on. It means me walking from the bus stop to the clock tower and then standing around waiting for the other bus, which goes to Ardkeen. I wish I could, but I’m not able to manage that. I only have sight in one eye, so I would have to bring someone with me to help me with the walk,” she said.
A 61-year-old chronic arthritis sufferer claims that she too is not physically able to make this journey through Waterford City to attend the hospital in Ardkeen.
“I am lucky my son takes me to almost all of my appointments, but last week he wasn’t able to get the day off work so I rang up the hospital to book a place on the bus and I was told no I wasn’t allowed to use it anymore…I couldn’t believe it. Even with two knee replacements, one hip done and another that needs to be done they don’t think I’m immobile enough to get a seat on the bus!”
She continued: “In my case I don’t need to use it all of the time, but my son works and there are some days when he can’t take me, I don’t see why there should be a problem in letting me use it just when I need it.”
The woman noted that on a number of occasions when she has availed of the service in the past, the bus driver was tasked with collecting blood samples at New Ross and delivering them to the laboratory at the Waterford hospital.
“The bus would have had to make the journey anyway from what I can see, even if there had of been no one on it,” she claimed.
It is alleged that the bus service has the capacity to accommodate all of the patients who wish to use it. This situation has given rise to speculation amongst some that the HSE is attempting to reduce the numbers availing of the service with a view to terminating the service in the future.
In the explanatory notes that accompany the new application form it is stated that there is no statutory requirement for the HSE to provide clients with non-emergency patient transport to attend healthcare facilities or clinics.
Sinn Fein county councillor Anthony Kelly told The Echo that on foot of complaints he has received he has made representations to hospital management on behalf of the affected patients in an attempt to resolve what he described as “ridiculous situation that is putting unnecessary pressure on patients”.