Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am sorry that the Minister, Deputy Simon Harris, cannot be here. I will take the opportunity to read the statement I have been given and then come back on some of the points that Deputy Crowe has raised.

The Minister, Deputy Harris, is aware that the Deputy has some concerns about the dialysis services in the Tallaght region. However, he can be assured that this is a matter the Department of Health, the HSE and the Dublin Midlands hospital group are working to address. Demand for haemodialysis nationally has been increasing in recent years. There was an average 5.6 % increase in dialysis treatments delivered by Tallaght Hospital over the past five years. There are currently approximately 220 patients receiving haemodialysis treatment and a further 40 patients receiving home dialysis therapy under the care of Trinity Health Kidney Centre and Tallaght Hospital.

I understand from the HSE that in 2017 there were 27,686 in-centre haemodialysis treatments. Those provided in Tallaght Hospital numbered 12,545, and those outsourced to satellite units under the governance of Tallaght Hospital numbered 15,141. In addition to this, there is an acute dialysis service in St James's Hospital that operates under the common governance model and common policies of the Trinity Health Kidney Centre. Tallaght Hospital is currently the second largest provider of haemodialysis in the country. The unit, with dialysis beds, is open seven days a week and almost all the growth in dialysis activity over the past few years has occurred in the satellite units. The requirement for additional capacity for dialysis at Tallaght is acknowledged.

The proposed new renal dialysis project to double the capacity at Tallaght Hospital is included in the national development plan. The new unit will not solely focus on increased capacity but also on enhancing the model of care, with particular emphasis on home and self-care. It will build on the existing status as a national home therapies centre. On the development of renal services overall, the Deputy may be aware that the HSE national renal office was established on World Kidney Day 2009 to provide governance, integration and leadership in developing a national framework for delivering renal services in Ireland.

The service planning and decision-making processes for allocation of resources are informed by the work of the renal office and its recommendations on future national renal priorities, based on clinical need and ongoing collection of epidemiological practice and outcome data. The overall aim is to develop networks of appropriately designed and maintained hospital dialysis facilities, with adequate inpatient, outpatient, laboratory and radiology facilities to support patient care in a fully integrated manner.

The Minister for Health is aware of the current demands on the renal services at Tallaght hospital and the requirement for expansion of dialysis capacity to accommodate the growth in demand. The Department of Health and the HSE are working to address the capacity necessary to meet this demand.

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