Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I express my sincere sympathies to the family of the late Mr. Patrick Walsh, RIP, who died tragically at Monaghan General Hospital last Friday. His death should not have happened. I have been informed that an intensive care bed was vacant in Cavan General Hospital when Mr. Walsh needed to be transferred.

The circumstances surrounding this tragedy require thorough investigation. Mr. Declan Carey, a consultant surgeon at Belfast City Hospital and an honorary senior lecturer at Queen's University, will carry out an independent and external review of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Walsh's death. The review will be completed and a report will be issued within eight weeks. I look forward to the review answering all the questions relating to this tragic case as a matter of urgent public interest and patient safety.

The policy approach in respect of surgical services for the Cavan-Monaghan hospital group was set out in the 2004 report of a steering group that was established by the former North Eastern Health Board. The recommendations of the steering group, which was representative of all the key stakeholders and included consultant representation from both hospitals, were unanimously approved by the group's members. The steering group recommended that major and emergency surgery should be carried out in Cavan General Hospital and that Monaghan General Hospital should provide selective elective surgery. The steering group's recommendations reflected the advice of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. In accordance with the recommendations, a full surgical team based in Cavan will provide services at Monaghan General Hospital in the form of selective elective surgery on a Monday to Friday basis.

In accordance with the steering group's recommendations, the hospital returned to offering 24-hour seven-day medical cover in January 2005. A third consultant physician has been in position since November 2004 and five new anaesthetic non-consultant hospital doctors have been recruited to facilitate the return of the hospital to medical on-call. The HSE recently appointed a non-practising lead consultant surgeon at the Cavan-Monaghan department of surgery. The remit of the surgeon is to oversee an implementation plan arising from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland's advice on the future configuration of surgical services in Cavan and Monaghan. Measures being taken in that regard include the appointment of surgeons to fill existing or forthcoming vacancies.

The arrangements I have outlined, which are being put in place by the HSE, are designed to enhance the overall level of surgical services across the Cavan-Monaghan hospital group. The HSE recently informed the Department of Health and Children that it will keep the matter under continuing review.

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