Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for her questions. In regard to Bantry General Hospital, I am pleased to give her a commitment that I have no intention for the hospital to be in any way downgraded. I had the pleasure of visiting it a year and a half or two years ago and it is a superb facility. In fact, I would like it to be busier. It needs to be busier. I do not say that as a criticism of the people working there, who also want to see it busier. Indeed, what we need to do with hospitals other than the level 4 facilities is make them busier. We need to look at which services we can take out of the level 4 hospitals and provide safely in the level 2 and level 3 facilities. It is my plan and intention to see an investment programme for Bantry General Hospital and I know there already are ambitious plans in that regard. I want to see it busier. I assure the Deputy that I will not forget about it. I am sure she will not allow me to do so.

I listened to the contributions of the IMO representatives at the Oireachtas committee and had met them before then. They are right to highlight the issues they did. I will not use up all the Deputy's time responding to this as I dealt with some of it in my opening statement. I will say that there is going to be a real challenge in how we provide healthcare in this country. People talk about how we will reopen schools, pubs, restaurants and other businesses, and the same challenges present themselves in the health service. The question is how we can deliver non-Covid care in a way that is safe for patients, respecting of social distancing and safe for staff as well. That will have an impact on capacity and the Deputy is right that it will involve the provision of more beds. The HSE is working its way through figuring out that impact. It published a framework in this regard today and is asking each hospital and area to respond outlining the impact for them. A safe reopening of health services will also require new and better ways of doing things. The fact that we delivered 85,000 virtual clinic outpatient appointments last month alone is unheard of. We need to look at how we can open out that service and how we can provide more outpatient appointments appropriately in primary care centres.

On cancer screening, I am delighted to inform the Deputy that a restart plan was published today. CervicalCheck will recommence on a phased basis next month, with letters going out from 6 July to some 15,000 women a week, and a new HPV programme will commence.

In regard to critical care, the temporary capacity to which the Deputy referred effectively needs to be made permanent. We need to take the opportunity now to address what has been a historical shortage of ICU beds.

Negotiations on the question of access to private hospitals are still ongoing, but there are three pillars I would like to see in any agreement reached. First, if there is a second wave of infections, we must have the ability to step up again and use that capacity. Second, there should be local arrangements whereby cancer services, for example, in some parts of the country might be transferred from the public hospital to the private hospital. Third, there should be a facility for the State to purchase private services for elective procedures, recognising that there will be a shortage of capacity as a result of Covid in some of our public hospitals.

Regarding NCHDs, I fully agree with the Deputy's proposal, as does the CEO of the HSE. I met him this morning and heard his comments later in the day regarding opportunities to open up more training programme places. I share the Deputy's view that this is a once-in-a-generation chance.

In regard to a statutory right to home care provision, I fully support such a right, which I note is included in the new draft programme for Government. It will be a matter for the new Government to decide when to progress the matter but I would like to see it progressed quickly. From memory, the proposed timeline is that the legislation could be brought forward towards the end of this year or the start of next year, with an implementation in 2022. However, that timeline is subject to my recall and the priorities of the new Government.

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