John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I will make every effort to give a considered response and to answer the questions posed by the Deputy. I apologise for the fact that my colleague, Deputy Mary Harney, cannot be here to respond.

The HSE has recently been considering how best to reform the way services are provided in Dublin North while reducing costs, maintaining a clear focus on patient safety, allowing people to be treated in more effective ways and protecting access to appropriate services. The way in which accident and emergency services are delivered in the region has recently been considered by the HSE in this regard. No decisions relating to the potential impact on any of the sites, including at James Connolly Memorial Hospital, have been made.

International trends point toward the provision of fewer emergency departments, based within larger hospitals that are focused on acute care services. There are potential advantages to having hospitals that specialise in elective, non-emergency care. Having protected beds for non-emergency care can eliminate the cancellation of procedures and operations which frequently occur when emergency patients have to be admitted to the beds. Reduced cancellations means that medical staff can schedule more patients, confident in the knowledge that beds will be available as planned. This allows the emergency hospital to focus primarily on acute care and so provide a better care experience to emergency patients.

However, such advantages must be weighed against the needs of the local population. The HSE intends to undertake a full impact assessment and cost-benefit analysis of any change to emergency department services. This will require detailed planning and engagement with a wide range of interested parties. The HSE has stressed that this project is at a very early stage and no decisions have yet been taken on the future of any particular service.

I do not have the specific information sought by the Deputy. I will respond to her within a few days.

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