Health Insurance Eye & Ear Hospital Dublin.

A family member has had the misfortune of having to deal with the Eye & Ear Emergency department a number of times over the past few years.

We have had to wait in their waiting room from between 5 and 8 hours each time. Very unpleasant experience, hot/stuffy not enough seats etc. No Parking on grounds available.

It seems that the only way to access care is through their emergency department. This includes follow up care from a previous visit to their emergency department only weeks previously.

Is it not possible to make an appointment to receive treatment other than going through their Emergency Department and having to wait over 5 hours each time?

Appointments can be made on foot of a referral from GP - note the waiting time for routine appointments (3 years).

gipimann said:

Appointments can be made on foot of a referral from GP - note the waiting time for routine appointments (3 years).

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I think that you are referred to the emergency department only. I don't think that a GP letter does anything else.

A three year wait for an appointment has to be a joke?

Can you go to a consultant privately?

The mater has an emergency eye department separate to the main ED I think it need a referral for your GP but a family member used it recently and say it was efficient.

SlurrySlump said:

I think that you are referred to the emergency department only. I don't think that a GP letter does anything else.

A three year wait for an appointment has to be a joke?

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3 years is perfectly normal. In the public system. Public waiting lists can be much longer depending on the speciality.

becky said:

3 years is perfectly normal. In the public system. Public waiting lists can be much longer depending on the speciality.

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Unfortunately true, but surely not for:
'This includes follow up care from a previous visit'
as mentioned by the OP

IsleOfMan said:

A family member has had the misfortune of having to deal with the Eye & Ear Emergency department a number of times over the past few years.

We have had to wait in their waiting room from between 5 and 8 hours each time. Very unpleasant experience, hot/stuffy not enough seats etc. No Parking on grounds available.

It seems that the only way to access care is through their emergency department. This includes follow up care from a previous visit to their emergency department only weeks previously.

Is it not possible to make an appointment to receive treatment other than going through their Emergency Department and having to wait over 5 hours each time?

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They operate a triage system. The more urgent cases are seen first. Someone waiting 5-8 hours isn't suffering with an urgent condition

When you say follow-up, is that from the professional in A&E saying if it gets any worse come back in ?

IsleOfMan said:

Is it not possible to make an appointment to receive treatment other than going through their Emergency Department and having to wait over 5 hours each time?

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Of course, but you need to go thru' the correct procedure via a consultant ss Brendan alluded to above. If A&E didn't see it fit to be an emergency then they will not treat it very quickly so you will unfortunately have to wait your turn on the dreaded public list.

I am on the list now for 6 months and got email recently to see if I still was around/wanted to continue on list. I have gone privately but issue not resolved so will wait my turn for a second opinion. I needed a GP referral to apply for appointment. Meanwhile my partner saw a GP in the morning and got referral to their casualty and was told to go in for 5 pm and was seen c 7 30 pm and matter dealt with efficiently.

hazelgreen said:

so will wait my turn for a second opinion

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If you are insured with VHI you may be able to avail of the Best Doctors 2nd opinion service which is free and quicker than staying on waiting list.

Very interesting Sue, I had not heard of that option. Yes I am with VHI.

If it’s something regular like an eye injection then go private, I have experience of the 5-6 hour wait times at the Eye/Ear and going private turned that into 30 minutes and a more pleasant experience done locally to where I live.

Palerider: if an injection needed for macular degen then it is best to move swiftly as there is a window of time where treatment is effective.

The public health system seems to be in total crisis. Public clinics are very stressful I have been attending a fracture clinic with my mother recently often waiting hours like the op and on occasion taking a day of work to facilitate her appointments and the clinic was cancelled once. It is very difficult for very elderly people who often have chronic pain to sit in the one position for lengthy periods.

I saw lots of elderly folks on their own who clearly struggled to hear their names being called and just to manage following directions of where to go to get X-rays then to come back to the ortho area. Needing the loo and navigating the system with lengthy waiting seems cruel. I do not know how we resolve this but I have to be honest I was really relieved when we finished with the fracture clinic. I will never give up my health cover it gives me anxiety to imagine not having it. There really is a 2 tier system but the pressure the staff are under is also clearly visible we just do not seem to be making any headway with this in fact my experience with my mother has been gruesome to be honest.

One of my children working in Ireland (not Dublin) had an ear problem last weekend. Periodic issue that has to be sorted pretty immediately. Said “adult” didn’t listen about being in health system abroad (young and moving around). So I get the phone call last weekend, my suggestions were:

- show up in emergency very early morning, (not Saturday night)
- go to private hospital, I phoned them, but they are only Monday-Friday, will take walk ins and are never busy
- asked one of my brothers who is in the VHI who told me the VHI have clinics now, that was news to me, but we were unsure if they take walk ins.
- go to private clinic/practise Monday morning

Went for last option last Monday 9 am, something about technician not coming in until 11 and might see if could be seen, but up speaks trainee who said they’d give it a go. He ho 50 euro sorted.

Paying PRSI but no idea how that works. The young have zero interest in that.

Our prior experiences of children in Irish system is hospital treatment at zero cost, including surgery one time, never so much as saw a bill. We reckon they can’t cope with “foreign” paperwork (EU health card)

Mommabearof3 said:

I saw lots of elderly folks on their own who clearly struggled to hear their names being called

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It is hard to believe but this is what happens in the eye and Ear hospital. You sit in the waiting room, a door opens and a name is called. It is down to the patient to hear their name being called. Despite this being the eye and EAR hospital. There is a TV type monitor in the waiting room, maybe make use of it to notify people who are "next".

hazelgreen said:

Palerider: if an injection needed for macular degen then it is best to move swiftly as there is a window of time where treatment is effective.

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I’m not an eye specialist but yes, the eye.ear use a drug called Avastin for macular degeneration., most people get around 4 weeks from that however going private offers you different drug options that should get you six weeks or thereabouts.
Don’t delay treatment, that’s really important and don’t miss appointments.

Macular degeneration if caught in time involves monthy or six weekly checkups and possible further jabs and over some years by which time the unaffected eye probably needs attention.