Mary Wallace (Meath East, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Mattie McGrath for raising this important issue. The Government is committed to ensuring the delivery of the best quality health services possible, in an effective and efficient way. Ensuring patient safety is of paramount importance, such that people can have confidence in the care they receive and can expect the best possible outcomes. Patient safety and quality must be prioritised and services organised and managed from that perspective. In addition, services should be available, as far as possible, close to where people live.

Currently, South Tipperary General Hospital provides acute services for a catchment population of some 135,000 people in South Tipperary and the bordering areas of North Tipperary and west County Waterford. Since acute hospital services in South Tipperary were amalgamated in South Tipperary General Hospital in January 2007, following the transfer of accident and emergency, general surgery and oncology services from Our Lady's Hospital, Cashel, service delivery arrangements have been much enhanced and have proved beneficial for both patients and health service staff in the area.

We are all now familiar with the expert advice that, where the delivery of complex care is concerned, better outcomes for patients are achieved if this takes places where the necessary staff and equipment is all to hand and sufficient volumes of activity take place. The available evidence also emphasises the need to provide timely emergency care to patients in an appropriate setting and that this leads to lower rates of death, fewer complications and longer life.

It is important to appreciate that the nature of health service delivery is changing and that the direction of future development is towards an increased proportion of diagnosis and treatment taking place on a day or outpatient basis. For example, much computerised tomography, CT, scanning and endoscopy work can be undertaken in local hospitals. This is a good deal more convenient for patients and their families, as well as being much more cost-effective.

The HSE's national service plan for 2009 contains a commitment to develop in the south east an overall framework for reconfiguration of all services in the hospital network. The HSE is at present developing its plans to advance this work. This task is at a relatively early stage. The Government is committed to a process of change which is incremental, involving appropriate consultation and discussion with health professionals, service users and other interests.

I assure Deputy Mattie McGrath and the House that any proposed changes emerging from the process in the south east will be the subject of consultation. The HSE has already prepared the information document to which Deputy McGrath referred dealing with the modernisation of acute services in the region which will be a helpful input to the work ahead.

Whatever configuration of services is ultimately decided upon, the Minister is confident that South Tipperary General Hospital and each of the other acute hospitals in the region will continue to play a valuable and significant role in the delivery of an integrated regional health service. I thank Deputy Mattie McGrath for raising this important issue.

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