Ms Eilísh Hardiman:

I thank the Chair. I concur. This is not just a matter concerning scoliosis treatment, as our clinical colleagues have said. This is about orthopaedic services overall. In that context, we are trying to expand the paediatric orthopaedic services we provide in CHI. To give some specifics, and I am happy to send on the details in writing if we have run out of time, we have identified that we need a fifth theatre in Temple Street. We have plans ready to go for that endeavour, and we anticipate that we will have that facility open by July 2022, subject to approval in 2021. We have also identified that we are going to open unfunded elements of and expand the theatres in Crumlin. We can move on those in the first six months to get the staff in place to extend the hours. An MRI scanner will begin operating in Temple Street in July 2022 as well, and, subject to funding, we will have a second MRI scanner in place in Crumlin by the end of 2022.

Turning to the situation with beds, eight beds will be opening in Temple Street at the end of November. Those are short-stay beds to deal with emergency issues, and that is intended to address the situation regarding some of the cases, from the huge numbers being seen in our accident and emergency department, being admitted up into the inpatient beds. Those extra beds will allow us to try to decompress the pressure on those inpatient beds. We have a plan to also put four more beds into Temple Street, subject to funding, and we can put a further ten beds into Crumlin. Those beds will be put in place by the third quarter of next year, because they are subject to some building work being done. We have identified the revenue and capital costs required for these investments over the next two and a half years. We hope these developments will allow us to address the situation with orthopaedic services in general and not just with scoliosis cases, although we are of course keeping a close eye on our scoliosis waiting list.