Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

Since 2006, some 19 additional staff have been recruited in St. Vincent's Hospital to work with cystic fibrosis patients. The physical infrastructure has also been enhanced through the refurbishment last year of accommodation to provide eight single en suite rooms for the exclusive use of people with cystic fibrosis.

It had been intended to free up a further six beds at the hospital for the use of cystic fibrosis patients. This has not yet happened due to serious infection control concerns in the care of the elderly unit in the hospital which required immediate essential refurbishment work. In order to do this, patients from the care of the elderly unit had to be moved to the area which had been planned for the additional six beds. This work has been completed and the elderly unit has reopened.

In order to provide six additional single en suite rooms for cystic fibrosis patients, the current configuration of the ward will have to be changed from five three-bedded rooms and one six-bedded room to six single rooms. The current complement of 21 beds would be reduced to six and the hospital would therefore lose 15 beds which are available to it. The additional 15 beds are necessary at the moment to accommodate patients requiring admission from the emergency department.

Phase 2 of the development at St. Vincent's is being designed to provide a new clinical building which will include 120 replacement beds. The new facility will include appropriate isolation facilities and accommodation for cystic fibrosis patients. Design work and preparation of tender documents is continuing in respect of the development.

A number of other significant capital developments are being progressed for cystic fibrosis patients throughout the country, including in Beaumont Hospital. An additional 48 staff, including consultant, nursing and allied health professionals, have been appointed across the hospital system in recent years to enhance the services provided to cystic fibrosis patients. I intend to continue these improvements, including the development of outreach services to facilitate the treatment of patients outside the hospital setting where appropriate.

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