Special Delivery Unit

Responsibilities

The Special Delivery Unit (SDU) was established to unblock access to acute services by improving the flow of patients through the system. The SDU is focusing initially on emergency departments and is working to support hospitals in addressing excessive waiting times for admission to hospital. The SDU is working closely with key teams in the HSE and the NTPF, building on initiatives already underway including the clinical programmes. The SDU will provide a performance management function for the Irish hospital system and will drive down waiting times.

The SDU’s priorities encompass:

• Emergency Departments – waiting times for admission have been unacceptably high in a number of hospitals, often breaching the current 6-hour maximum waiting time target
• In-patient waiting times – the trend has been upwards recently, despite the work of the NTPF
• Out-patient waiting times – the time from GP referral to an appointment with a consultant is unacceptably long in many specialties
• Access to diagnostics – this forms an essential part of the patient journey for all of the areas of access above

National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF)

• The NTPF’s resources will be re-focused to align closely with the SDU’s work and the remaining NTPF funding will be used for patient care in its widest sense ie for specific initiatives or projects or for direct referrals of patients for treatment.
• As a priority the Minister instructed public hospitals to ensure that, by the end of 2011, they have no patients waiting more than 12 months for treatment.
• The NTPF is working closely with the HSE and the SDU to acheive this target
• www.ntpf.ie

Staff Details

The other members of staff of the Special Delivery Unit, who have been seconded from the HSE/RCSI, are:

Telephone: 01 635 4000

Fax:: 01 635 3223

Latest Developments

Briefing for Oireachtas members by the Special Delivery Unit and the Clinical Programmmes

On Thursday 8th of March 2012 the Special Delivery Unit (SDU) and members of the Clinical Programmes gave a briefing to Oireachtas members in the Audio Visual Room in Leinster House. The meeting was intended to give TDs, Senators or their staff an opportunity to hear at first hand the vital work of the SDU and the Clinical Programmes. As has been widely reported the SDU is tasked – among other things – with reducing waiting lists in the health service.

But less well known is the crucial work being done by the Clinical Programmes. Led by Dr Barry White, the Clinical Programmes have established a new tier of clinical leadership across the hospital system, and have developed programmes around specialties which will produce improved patient outcomes with a more effective use of resources. There are over 30 separate Clinical Programmes – the briefing dealt with two; the Emergency Medicine Programme and the Acute Medicine Programme.

The Special Delivery Unit and the Clinical Programmes now work closely together in effecting improvements across the hospital system. Recently Health Minister Dr James Reilly underscored that synergy with the announcement that the Clinical Programmes are to be based with the SDU in the Department of Health.

The 8th of March briefing was delivered in the following order;

Dr Una Geary                   The Emergency Medicine Programme

Professor Garry Courtney      The Acute Medicine Programme

Dr Martin Connor                    The work of the Special Delivery Unit

Mr Tony O’Brien                     Chief Operating Officer of the SDU chaired the session

You can hear the audio of the briefing by clicking on the link below and you may refer to the slides used in the presentation by using the Power Point Presentation. www.healthupdate.gov.ie/on-the-record/special-delivery-unit-briefing-for-oireachtas-members-by-the-special-delivery-unit-and-the-clinical-programmes.html

Information on the Special Delivery Unit initiatives

Information on the Special Delivery Unit initiative (High Intensity Supports) aimed at reducing trolley numbers (click on each link for more info).

• Beaumont Hospital
• Tallaght Hospital
• Mater Hospital
• St Vincent’s Hospital and St Colmcille’s Loughlinstown
• Galway University Hospital
• Cork University Hospital
• Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda