Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

With this in mind, the HSE plans to recruit a general manager with responsibility for Galway University Hospitals, Portiuncula Hospital and Roscommon County Hospital. This involves the expansion of the current post of General manager at Galway University Hospitals. The development will facilitate closer collaboration by the hospitals concerned and a more integrated and strategic approach to the management of services. It will ensure better and safer patient care, and provide additional support to Portiuncula Hospital and Roscommon County Hospital. The Minister has welcomed the HSE's decision.

The appointment of a general manager with responsibility for the three hospitals concerned is in line with the Health Information and Quality Authority's report on quality and safety of services at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital Ennis published in April 2009. This report identified the importance of integrated governance across hospital networks as an important way to ensure higher quality services for patients. The HSE has assured the Minister that it is committed to full engagement with all stakeholders regarding the general manager post. The final interviews for the post will not be held until the competition to appoint a regional director of operations in HSE west is concluded. This means that the regional director can take an active part in the selection process.

The development is also very much in line with the greater collaboration between Roscommon and Portiuncula hospitals in the provision of services that has been taking place over recent years. The HSE is proceeding with the reconfiguration of the surgical and anaesthetic departments of the two hospitals into a joint department of surgery and anaesthesia. As part of this plan a joint clinical director was appointed this year and joint consultant appointments are being progressed that involve sessional commitments at both hospitals. In total, five consultant surgeons will serve the two hospitals. A new consultant surgeon post was filled in September 2009 and a replacement consultant surgeon post is in the process of being filled. The majority of sessions for both posts are in Portiuncula Hospital and the basis for the split is 25 hours in Portiuncula, eight in Roscommon County Hospital and four in Galway University Hospitals, which creates a linkage with the cancer centre. In addition, two consultant physicians with sessional commitments at the three hospitals have been recruited and there will be joint sessions between Portiuncula and Roscommon hospitals in radiology and anaesthetics.

The Government is satisfied that the plan to recruit a general manager with responsibility for the three hospitals will enhance the capacity for collaboration in service provision, will provide a more strategic approach to the management of the hospitals concerned and will ensure the provision of better and safer services to the people of the region.

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