Written answer
Health Services
Private treatment does not bar access to public convalescence, rehabilitation or follow-up; eligibility depends on clinical need, service criteria and capacity.
205. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health her views on the need to provide public convalescence care or follow up therapies for patients following their discharge from hospitals having accessed their treatment or procedure privately. [72973/26]
Comment on this
A person’s decision to obtain hospital treatment privately does not, in itself, preclude them from subsequently accessing publicly funded health services. Access to convalescent care, rehabilitation or follow-up therapies is determined under the eligibility arrangements and service criteria applying to the particular service, following an assessment of the person’s clinical and care needs.
Where a public service is clinically indicated, access is prioritised on the basis of clinical need and provided through the relevant referral pathway, having regard to available capacity.
I have asked the HSE to provide the Deputy with further information on the pathways and assessment arrangements applying to patients seeking these services in these circumstances.