John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I will be taking the Adjournment on behalf of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Harney, who is unfortunately unable to attend to respond. She has consistently emphasised the need to improve facilities and services for persons with cystic fibrosis. Some 48 additional staff, including consultant, nursing and allied health professionals, have been appointed across the hospital system in recent years to enhance the level of services provided for persons with CF.

St. Vincent's Hospital is the national adult tertiary referral centre for patients with CF. A number of capital projects to improve the quality of accommodation have been completed at the hospital, including last year's refurbishment of accommodation to provide eight single en suite rooms for the exclusive use of people with CF. The single rooms have improved the quality of service for people with CF. It is intended that the proposed 120-bed development will include dedicated facilities for such patients. These facilities will include appropriate isolation facilities. Design work and the preparation of tender documents continue in respect of the development. This is a significant capital project in the acute hospitals area.

The HSE draft capital plan for the 2009-13 period is the subject of consideration. The Minister has confirmed that she will discuss this matter and the overall capital plan with the HSE after the forthcoming budget on 7 April. At this point, she has stated that she will encourage innovative solutions to implement high priority projects so that services, including those for patients with CF, can continue to be developed.

It is important to stress that a series of other developments that will improve the quality of service for CF patients are also in preparation. In the 2008 budget, a special allocation of €2.5 million in capital funding was provided to enable Beaumont Hospital to provide facilities for ambulatory care of people with CF. The project has now gone to tender. Patients with CF will also benefit from additional single room capacity in the new medical admissions unit at Beaumont Hospital, which is due for completion in the middle of this year.

The executive management board of Cork University Hospital has agreed in principle that new facilities for adult patients with CF are to be developed on its main campus. In the interim, plans are being advanced to provide for an interim day care facility, which will provide for dedicated day care space until the site development plan is scoped and developed.

Temple Street Children's Hospital is developing a dedicated respiratory unit, which will be a self-contained floor for the ambulant care of CF and respiratory patients. This will include a new respiratory lab, treatment room, consulting rooms and walk-in access to clinical nurse specialists. This unit is due to open later this year.

The HSE's expert advisory group on children and families produced a draft policy document on the implementation of a CF screening programme for newborns. A steering group will be established in 2009 to oversee the roll-out of the screening programme. An independent register for CF has been established. It is expected that preliminary data to inform analysis relating to median survival will be available by the third quarter 2009.

The Minister is conscious that further improvements are required, including the need to develop community outreach services to facilitate the treatment of patients outside a hospital setting where appropriate. Taken together, the planned developments represent a tangible improvement in the quality of services for people with CF.

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