Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 307: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the discussions she has had with the Health Service Executive regarding the implementation of the Teamwork Report proposals which would see further loss of services in Monaghan, Dundalk and Navan hospitals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17452/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I am familiar with the approach being adopted by the Health Service Executive in seeking to improve safety and standards across the acute hospital network in the North East Region, having regard to the issues raised in the Teamwork Management Services Report — "Improving Safety and Achieving Better Standards — An Action Plan for Health Services in the North East".

The Teamwork Report includes a number of recommendations to improve patient care in the region. It particularly highlights the need to develop a high quality, responsive emergency and planned service, in line with international standards. It recommends that there be one major regional hospital in the North East, supported by the five existing local hospitals. The new hospital is to provide emergency and trauma services on a 24 hour basis and also provide planned specialist procedures that are complex and require the facilities of a large regional hospital.

The hospital reconfiguration process is being overseen by the HSE Steering Group which is leading the project. A sub-committee of the Steering Group was established to progress the issue of site selection for the new regional hospital. Following a tendering process, the HSE appointed consultants to carry out an independent site location study. The study, which the HSE expects to be finalised in August, will take account of various criteria including demographics, access, planning and development considerations and interdependencies.

The first step in the development of a fully integrated regional health service is to ensure that the people of the North East have local access to both routine planned care and immediate life saving emergency care. Over the next few years, in preparation for all acute emergency in-patient care and complex planned care being provided at a regional centre, services at the existing five hospitals will continue to be improved. My Department has been advised that the existing hospitals will continue to provide services which meet the majority of health needs of the community.

The HSE has given me an assurance that, in progressing the implementation of the Teamwork Report, there will be no discontinuation of existing services until suitable alternative arrangements have been put in place.