Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to clarify the position on the development of services at Letterkenny General Hospital on behalf of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, who, unfortunately, cannot be present tonight. Deputies Keaveney and Blaney will be aware that the Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. This includes responsibility for the provision and development of services at Letterkenny General Hospital.

The Department of Health and Children is advised by the executive that the increasing capacity pressure at Letterkenny General Hospital has arisen from the recruitment of additional consultants in recent years, as mentioned by Deputy Blaney, and as a consequence of demographic change and advances in modem medicine which have resulted in greater life expectancy. The most recent consultant appointments to the hospital, including a consultant cardiologist, haematologist, oncologist, geriatrician and a consultant in respiratory medicine, have meant that more patients now access more services locally. These developments are to be welcomed but it is acknowledged that they have led to an increase in the local demand for services.

To assist the hospital in addressing the issue of capacity, the Department gave approval in 2003 to what is now the HSE north-western area to proceed with the planning of an extension to the emergency medicine department at the hospital. The HSE north-western area appointed a design team to carry out an option appraisal or feasibility study to determine the preferred location for the facility on the hospital site. The study, which examined eight options, has been completed and is under consideration by the HSE. The proposal also includes the provision of two shelled-out floors over the emergency medicine department for the future provision of up to 70 beds. The Minister for Health and Children has identified the delivery of emergency services as a priority area for attention.

Many of the difficulties and delays experienced in emergency medicine departments reflect system-wide issues. It is therefore necessary to adopt a whole-system approach, involving primary, acute, sub-acute and community care in tackling the problems in such departments. In November 2004, the Minister announced additional funding of €70 million to implement a ten-point action plan to improve the delivery of emergency services. She has met senior management of the HSE, and the Department of Health and Children is working closely with the executive to ensure early implementation of these measures.

I thank Deputies Keaveney and Blaney. I understand their concerns and will certainly draw to the attention of the Minister for Health and Children the very cogent case they made for Letterkenny General Hospital.

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