Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)

I will reply to this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney.

Orthopaedic services for the Cork area are provided from the Cork University Hospital group. The division of trauma and orthopaedics is made up of the orthopaedic department at Cork University Hospital and St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital. Cork University Hospital provides the only orthopaedic trauma service in Cork city and referrals are generally from the emergency departments of the city and county hospitals, as well as specialist referrals from other locations.

A number of vacancies currently exist for permanent consultant orthopaedic surgeons within the Cork University Hospital group. That is a consequence of retirements and resignations of former permanent post holders. To date, the HSE has recruited three locum consultants to assist with the delivery of the trauma service in Cork University Hospital and two temporary consultant orthopaedic surgeons to assist with the current backlog in the elective service in St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital.

The Public Appointments Service held interviews for the posts of permanent consultant orthopaedic surgeon on 19 December 2008 and I understand that two applicants have been offered posts through this process and one of the successful candidates took up his post this month. The HSE has placed a further advertisement for permanent posts and Cork University Hospital expects to fill a minimum of two further posts from this process.

There is no consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeon in the division of trauma and orthopaedics on the staff of Cork University Hospital or St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital at present. That is as a consequence of the retirement of the consultant orthopaedic surgeon with a special interest in paediatric orthopaedic surgery. The HSE is anxious to make such an appointment as soon as possible. In the meantime, arrangements have been made whereby the current service at St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital is provided by visiting paediatric consultant surgeons from Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, who provide a total of four clinics per month. Approximately 15% to 20% of children seen at this clinic are referred on for surgery, which is undertaken in Crumlin. In 2008, a total of 210 patients were referred to Crumlin for surgery from those clinics.

As part of the process to recruit a number of permanent consultant orthopaedic posts for Cork University Hospital and St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital, the southern hospitals group of the HSE is seeking to ensure that one of the appointments made will have a special interest in paediatric orthopaedic surgery. In the event of such an appointment being made, the need for the arrangements which I have described, involving consultants from Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, will be reviewed.

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