Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Daly for giving me the opportunity to update the house on behalf of the Minister for Health on the developments at Roscommon University Hospital.

To ensure delivery of the right care in the right place at the right time, there are robust systems and procedures to appraise, manage and deliver infrastructure projects required for the provision of health services. Projects are appraised by the national capital and property steering committee of the HSE. This is to ensure compliance with service priorities and policies and the feasibility of delivery. It also ensures alignment with the national service and capital plans. The national capital and property steering committee then recommends projects for inclusion in the capital investment programme. A prioritisation process is conducted to inform the annual capital plan.

A review of the spatial plan at Roscommon University Hospital was re-initiated in 2024 following the completion of the hospice built off the hospital site, the need to update site ward expansion and the replacement of existing facilities with modern and compliant accommodation. A possible site for the replacement acute adult mental health unit was to be considered.

The Minister for Health has been informed by the HSE that the physical review of space has been substantially completed, based on a brief confirmed by the hospital service. In recent weeks, HSE capital and estates and integrated health area management have requested that clinical planning consultants be engaged to verify service brief requirements included in the updated version of the spatial plan 2024-25 and in alignment with other hospitals in the catchment and national programmes. The rehabilitation unit at Roscommon University Hospital is a project currently included in the updated exercise of the spatial plan 2024-25.

The development of new or refurbished healthcare facilities anywhere in the country cannot be seen in isolation or separate from the delivery of related healthcare services. Projects are approved by HSE services before being submitted to a HSE central steering committee for approval and then progressing through the capital process. Once approved by the HSE central steering committee, the project is eligible for prioritisation and inclusion in the capital plan, subject to the level of funding.

In addition to the above process, and to enhance capital investment, the Department of Health has developed and published a strategic health investment framework to ensure investments are evidence based and equitable and that Sláintecare reforms are achieved, with the overall objective of having better health outcomes for the population of Ireland.

The strategic health investment framework is a high-level framework which sets out the investment criteria and an intervention hierarchy based on the principle of continuity of care by which all capital investment proposals in the public health sector are to be assessed. The capital plan is an annual document that sets out the planned health infrastructure investment within a given year. Capital investment plays a critical role in enabling and enhancing health service provision. The capital plan 2025 will outline the planned investment in health infrastructure throughout the country. It is expected the capital plan will be published the coming weeks in line with established procedures.

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