Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise the important issue of providing a top quality health service at Beaumont Hospital. All Members have a duty of care to the vulnerable, the sick, the disabled, the elderly and the very young. If we do not do that, we will lose sight of our progressive vision for the country. That is why in my agreement with the Taoiseach I pushed strongly for support services for the sick and disabled. I could have moved in another direction but top quality, professional and caring health services must be provided for the disabled, cystic fibrosis patients and cancer patients.

I warmly welcome the additional cancer services for Beaumont hospital. I am delighted my local hospital has been designated a centre for future cancer care. It will service more than 5,000 people, many of whom reside on the north side of Dublin city. I raised this issue in my deal with the Taoiseach and it is covered in section 5 of our agreement. This represents a major investment in the north side and I urge everyone involved to get on with the job and to work hard in the interest of patients.

I also welcome the €850,000 allocation for a new day care centre at the Central Remedial Clinic in Clontarf and the provision of an additional 255 residential places, 85 respite places and 535 day places for those with intellectual disabilities nationally. The total cost of these services will be approximately €45 million. I am delighted to inform the residents of Dublin North Central of these developments. I also addressed these priorities in my deal with the Taoiseach and they provide value for money for the taxpayer.

I look forward to further investment in services at Beaumont Hospital. The people of the north side deserve them as a right and I will not take lectures from politicians who talk down the progressive policies I am trying to have implemented. Major improvements have taken place in the accident and emergency department in the hospital in the past three months. Such departments on average deal with 3,300 people daily of whom 825 usually require admission. Patients who require admission sometimes have to stay in the accident and emergency department while they are stabilised, receive emergency treatment or undergo initial tests. On average 131 people attend the accident and emergency department at Beaumont Hospital daily, of whom 32 are admitted with two patients on trolleys for more than two hours and five for more than six hours.

I call on the Minister for Health and Children and the HSE to be more proactive in providing additional services for patients with cystic fibrosis. This is an issue I raised in my talks with the Taoiseach. It is raised in section 5(4) of my document of agreement which states we must increase and improve services to cystic fibrosis patients by designating a national centre. This is the way forward and action must be taken now. There have been enough talks and meetings. Cystic fibrosis patients cannot afford to wait any longer. This is one of my urgent priorities and I urge the Minister to fast-track these services. We must reach international best practice and standards for all cystic fibrosis patients and their families.

As well as a national centre, there must be increased local support in communities. Under no circumstances should patients be affected by problems in the HSE. I have made my views known to the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance in recent days.

I thank and commend the staff of Beaumont Hospital. We all have a duty to support them and the great work they do. This support must be practical and take the form of adequate funding.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Hear, hear.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy McGrath for raising this important issue. I take this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. We welcome the opportunity to set out the position on cancer services at Beaumont Hospital, one of the eight cancer centres designated by the HSE last month.

The implementation of the national cancer control strategy is a major priority for the Government. The overarching objective of the strategy is to deliver high quality, fully integrated, multi-modality cancer care nationally. The delivery of cancer services on a programmatic basis will serve to ensure equity of access to services and equality of patient outcome, irrespective of geography. The decision of the HSE to provide four managed cancer control networks and eight cancer centres will be implemented on a managed and phased basis. The HSE plans to have completed 80-90% of the transition of services to the cancer centres by the end of 2009 and has informed the Department that meetings and discussions are under way with the eight centres.

Beaumont Hospital has also been selected as a site for the development of radiation oncology facilities. Initially, four linear accelerators will be provided at the hospital. This will be increased to an equivalent capacity of eight linear accelerators on an incremental basis thereafter. The contract for the design consultants for the new facilities at the hospital has commenced. The evaluation process for procurement of the supply contract is also under way and a technical subgroup is preparing the equipping specification for the phase one developments.

The HSE has confirmed that it will have in place radiation oncology capacity to meet population need by 2010, after which it will continue to increase capacity to ensure these needs continue to be met. The Minister is fully confident that this will be achieved through a combination of direct Exchequer provision, public private partnerships and, where appropriate in the interim, the use of capacity in the private sector.

The HSE reports that Beaumont Hospital treats significant numbers of cancer patients, with nearly 7,000 day cases and more than 800 inpatients treated in 2006. From January to June this year, more than 3,500 day cases and 450 inpatients were treated at the hospital. The HSE has informed the Department that revenue funding of more than €10 million has been provided for this purpose in 2007, including non-pay costs of more than €6 million.

The Minister recently approved national quality assurance standards for symptomatic breast disease services under the Health Act 2007. The specialist centre for symptomatic breast disease services at Beaumont Hospital was officially opened last year. The HSE has informed the Department that additional revenue funding of almost €1.7 million has been provided for this service. Seven new consultant appointments have been made to facilitate the development across the various modalities of care, including surgery, radiology and medical oncology, with further appointments due to be made in breast surgery, plastic surgery and pathology. There have also been appointments in nursing, physiotherapy and counselling. The unit operates a fully multidisciplinary symptomatic breast disease service with multidisciplinary meetings and triple assessment clinics. Last year, 235 new breast cancers were recorded at Beaumont Hospital and more than 1,600 women attended for mammography services.

As I have outlined to the House, there have been significant developments in cancer services at Beaumont Hospital. The Government will continue to build on developments to date in cancer services nationally, including at Beaumont Hospital.