Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Deputy Burke’s and Deputy Smith’s issues together given they both refer to the same recent media reports concerning trauma services. I thank both Deputies for raising the issue, which I know exercised many people over the weekend, not only in the counties the Deputies are from but also in others which are referred to in the report. I welcome the chance to update the House on the actual position in light of these recent reports. At the outset, I would like to reassure the Deputies that the work underway in developing a policy on a national trauma system is about getting the best outcomes for a particular, small category of patients who sustain traumatic injuries. It is not about closing emergency departments or diminishing services.

To put this in context, emergency departments provide 24-7 access for emergency and urgent presentations across the spectrum of medical and surgical conditions, and major trauma patients represent a very small percentage of total emergency department activity, as noted by the Deputies. A trauma patient needs access to the best service that has the right resources to match their often multiple and critical needs in the shortest time possible. The aim of developing national policy on trauma networks is to ensure that trauma patients are brought to the right place at the right time, for the right care, so they can make the best recovery possible. It is about building on the strengths of pre-hospital care so all of our acute hospitals and post-acute services can provide an optimal configuration of trauma services. The implementation of hospital groups provides an opportunity for hospitals to work together to enhance trauma services for patients and allows resources for trauma to be co-ordinated in a more focused manner.

The need for a national trauma system has been recognised for many years. Experience from other countries demonstrates that the establishment of trauma networks improves patient outcomes in terms of mortality and morbidity. In June 2015 the national clinical programme for trauma and orthopaedic surgery published the model of care for trauma and orthopaedic surgery and strongly recommended that a national approach to trauma services should be taken. The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the professional body representing all surgeons and emergency medicine specialists, also called for its establishment at its annual scientific meeting last year. As these are the experts in this field, we must listen to them carefully.

Last year, the then Minister for Health appointed a national steering group to develop policy on a major trauma system for Ireland. This is a joint initiative from the Department of Health and the HSE, developed in recognition that we do not at present have a co-ordinated trauma network structure in Ireland. The steering group has been working with the Department of Health, the HSE and all relevant HSE national clinical leads, including pre-hospital emergency care, orthopaedics and trauma, surgery and critical care, on the development of the policy. I want to emphasise that the group has not yet reported and neither the Minister, Deputy Harris, nor I have seen any output from its work. The group's recommendations are not expected until later this year and the Minister and I look forward to receiving the report at that stage. Let me reiterate that this is not about reducing services and it is certainly not about closing emergency departments.

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