Mr. Paul Reid:

I am happy to clarify the position. We would say that what is happening at Navan hospital overall is a realignment of the services, with proposals to redirect some services to other hospitals, including Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. The rationale for that are serious patient safety risks which have been highlighted to me, the board of the HSE and the Department. The risks identified include that there is no local emergency department governance in Navan hospital, no acute surgical service in place, and an agency registrar, not a specialist in an emergency department, provides care in Navan. There are significant issues relating to one of the smallest ICUs in the country. Those risks have been highlighted to me as being significant by the chief clinical officer of the HSE, the clinical lead for acute services nationally, the anaesthesia specialists in the local hospitals, surgical specialist physicians, non-consultant hospital doctors and nursing staff. That has been highlighted to me, as CEO, the board of the HSE and the Department. In my role as CEO of the HSE, I have to take those risks very seriously. I take any risks associated with patient safety and saving patients' lives very seriously.