Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I would like to ask the Minister of State the current status in terms of opening a renal dialysis unit at Wexford General Hospital. The physical infrastructure for housing the dialysis unit is up and ready. It seems some legal hold up is stopping patients from being able to have their renal dialysis carried out in Wexford General Hospital. At present, patients have to travel to Waterford which is over an hour's drive away. It is not a difficulty for patients to travel to Waterford but renal dialysis patients have to go for dialysis at least three times per week and it can take up to six hours to have dialysis carried out. It can be very stressful, especially for elderly patients, to have to arrange transport to travel to Waterford, have their dialysis carried out and then travel home. The unit at Wexford General Hospital has been set up and very little is required to push it over the line in terms of its opening. I ask the Minister of State to make every effort to ensure patients can have renal dialysis carried out at Wexford General Hospital as soon as possible. It would be a more efficient use of the patient's time and would add to their quality of life. As the Minister of State will understand, any patient who is receiving dialysis already has a decreased quality of life and there is no need for us to add to that when it is unnecessary at this time.

I am delighted about what is happening at Wexford General Hospital. In the 15 years I have been a GP in County Wexford I would have had to travel to Wexford General Hospital at least once a week. My two young sons have been treated in the accident and emergency department there for injuries resulting from the activities young boys get up to and my little girl was born in the hospital. One point I would make about the accident and emergency department and the maternity unit is that they are very claustrophobic. If it was not for such goodwill and dedication to excellence by the staff of Wexford General Hospital, we would never have survived with the current set up in the maternity unit and in the accident and emergency department. Now a brand new maternity unit and accident and emergency department are under construction and it fills my heart with joy to see the construction work under way when I go to the hospital. Even though the Minister, Deputy Howlin, is my colleague in government, he is my political rival in the constituency. He has always been a great friend to Wexford General Hospital and I am sure, like me, he is delighted to see the current construction work at Wexford General Hospital. In all the years we have discussed the future of Wexford General Hospital, he has been a great supporter and has an excellent understanding of what actually happens in our health services. These are positive developments in the health service but there is a possibility to add to the excellence of the services at Wexford General Hospital and I hope the Minister will be able to give me positive new about the provision of renal dialysis services at the hospital.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for bring this matter before the House and I assure him that his comments will be brought to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Reilly, who is unavoidably absent. The Minister fully acknowledges the challenges that these patients are currently facing and the need for the provision of a dedicated haemodialysis service in Wexford for these patients.

The Minister is aware that haemodialysis and home dialysis services in the south east are currently provided from the parent renal unit at Waterford Regional Hospital. There are currently three consultant renal physicians working at this unit and a wide range of services are provided there. The haemodialysis unit at Waterford Regional Hospital provides chronic haemodialysis therapies to just over 100 outpatients. There is also a stand-alone satellite haemodialysis unit in Kilkenny which provides chronic haemodialysis therapies to just under 50 outpatients. Waterford Regional Hospital also provides additional inpatient haemodialysis therapies to all end-stage renal disease patients in the south-east region who require dialysis when they are unwell and are admitted to hospital. Acute haemodialysis therapies are also provided here for patients with acute kidney injury. The peritoneal dialysis unit in Waterford Regional Hospital provides training, support and follow-up care to just under 20 patients who perform peritoneal dialysis in their own homes. It is important to note that almost 20,000 dialysis treatments were provided during 2012 and over 13,000 of these were provided at Waterford Regional Hospital.

The national renal office, together with the HSE and the parent renal unit in the south east, have considered how services should develop in the south east. The vision for further development of renal services in the south east includes the development of a further satellite haemodialysis unit in Wexford. This unit would be very beneficial to those patients living in the Wexford region. It would be responsible for delivering routine care to stable chronic haemodialysis patients closer to their homes in Wexford and the HSE has identified this development in Wexford as a service priority.

Unfortunately, the HSE's service target date of end 2012 for initiating this project could not be achieved due to a legal challenge which may affect the process. The HSE has obtained legal advice in relation to the initiation of a tender process for the satellite dialysis unit in Wexford and it concludes that this should not proceed until other legal matters are resolved. The HSE must await the outcome of the legal challenge prior to deciding on next steps. It intends to proceed with the tendering process for this satellite service as soon as possible after such matters have been resolved.

I would like to pass on the Minister, Deputy Reilly's thanks to the Deputy for raising this matter. The Minister would like to assure the Deputy of both his and the HSE's commitment to this project. It is unfortunate that it has been delayed by legal issues which are outside of the control of the Minister but he wants to reassure the Deputy that as soon as these matters have been resolved, the HSE intends to proceed with tendering for a unit in the Wexford environs as soon as possible thereafter.

Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I ask the Minister of State to convey to the HSE that it could be more imaginative in how it is dealing with this issue. It could provide haemodialysis until this legal issue is resolved. I am sure it could even put forward a short-term tendering contract to provide haemodialysis at Wexford General Hospital until this legal issue is resolved.

My suspicion is that the HSE is not so much lacking in imagination as lacking in concern for the patients involved and is hiding behind the legal issue. I ask the Minister to instruct the HSE to look at alternatives in the meantime, until the legal issue is resolved.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I will bring the Deputy's comments to the attention of the Minister for Health and the HSE.