Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Táim buíoch an deis a fháil an cheist seo a chuir. Tá ospidéal nua thar a bheith tábhachtach do Ghaillimh. Ar dtús báire, ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a ghabháil don Aire Sláinte nua, an Teachta Simon Harris. Guím gach rath air ina ról nua.

A new hospital for Galway is something the people of Galway and the region have sought for some time. Since my election to the regional health forum in 2006, I and the other 39 councillors, on a cross-party basis, have recognised the inadequacy of the hospital site in Galway and the acute crisis that exists because of the congested site. The hospital we know as the regional hospital Galway provides a leadership role in acute service delivery, providing regional services for a wide range of specialties and is also designated as a supra-regional centre for cancer and cardiac services serving a catchment area in the region of 1 million people from Donegal to Tipperary north. That is the catchment area the hospital is serving, yet waiting lists in the hospital for every single medical specialty on both inpatient and outpatient waiting lists have repeatedly made local and national headlines, primarily because of lack of capacity on the site, in addition to lack of resources. The waiting lists are damning for ENT procedures and operations, orthopaedic operations, urology, anaesthesia, pain management, rheumatology and dermatology. The list goes on. In addition, we have the repeated cancellation of elective surgeries and procedures due to the input of patients through the accident and emergency department, which is causing great distress and pain to the patients.

Moreover, there is a trolley crisis despite the best efforts of staff, nurses and management. There is research to the effect that over a particular age, a person who spends more than two days on a trolley will spend a longer time in hospital, thereby incurring a greater cost to the Exchequer, not to mention the psychological and physical hurt to the patient. I accept that projects are planned and under way, including the construction of a 75-bed ward, a 50-bed replacement ward, a 50-bed mental health unit and a planned emergency department unit. However, the important point is that, notwithstanding these planned projects, both the clinical director of the hospital and the management of the Saolta group have acknowledged recently that all of these developments on the congested site are simply fire-fighting exercises and that there is an urgent requirement to have a new hospital and to begin planning for such a new hospital as quickly as possible. Furthermore, it has been highlighted that even when all these developments are in place, there will be additional capacity of only 25 beds on that congested site.

It is recognised by everybody in Galway and the region that the University Hospital Galway, UHG, site is congested and cannot cope with the existing demand. Its parking facilities are inadequate and cars must wait for hours to get in. As I noted when raising this matter, the lack of capacity in the hospital was the most worrying aspect when the risk assessment was drawn up to produce the risk register. I refer to this risk and the open, frank and welcome acknowledgement by the management and clinical director that they cannot go on like this. They are doing their best but they need a new hospital. In view of such candour and honesty, I ask the Minister to address whether he has met the management and the clinical director. If not, when will that happen and what steps are being taken to establish plans for a new hospital?

I will conclude by noting there are 150 acres of land on the Merlin Park site. I support fully the residents there who do not wish to see the woods demolished, and they should be preserved. However, on the footprint alone, without touching a tree, a new hospital could be built. There is also another site in Galway if the Merlin Park site does not prove to be suitable - namely, the airport site. I do not mind where the site is located, as what people in Galway want is a new hospital.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I wish to take this opportunity to thank Deputy Connolly for raising this matter and for her good wishes. I am pleased to have this opportunity to update Members regarding hospital developments in Galway.

Galway University Hospitals, GUH, which encompasses University Hospital Galway and Merlin Park University Hospital, provide a comprehensive range of services to emergency and elective patients on an inpatient, outpatient and day-care basis across the two sites. UHG has approximately 700 beds and is a tertiary referral centre for the western region. Its emergency department has approximately 62,000 patients attending annually.

The programme for a partnership Government has committed to progressing a new emergency department facility for University Hospital Galway. The development of this new emergency department is a capital priority for the Saolta University Health Care Group. The HSE's capital plan for 2016 includes funding for a full option appraisal and cost-benefit analysis to inform planning and funding requirements for a new emergency department at University Hospital Galway. The cost-benefit analysis with regard to a new emergency department is in its final stages and it is anticipated that this will be completed shortly. If favourable, this then will progress to design stage this year.

While there are no plans for a new hospital to be built in County Galway, as outlined by the Deputy, considerable developments have been ongoing to improve facilities at University Hospital Galway. Pending the development of a new emergency department at the hospital, in order to alleviate pressures and to ensure that patient experience in the existing emergency department is improved, 30 additional beds opened at the hospital earlier this year. In addition, a number of significant projects have been completed at University Hospital Galway in recent years. These include the clinical research facility, the upgrade to the maternity unit and the cystic fibrosis outpatient department, which was completed in 2014 and is now operational. Furthermore, two major developments are currently under way in Galway. Construction work is ongoing on the new 75-bed ward block, which will provide single-room inpatient accommodation. In addition, a new acute mental health department is under way and is expected to be completed early in 2017. Following the transfer of mental health services to the new acute department, work will begin on the construction of a project under the national plan for radiation oncology for which the Health Service Executive, HSE, already has obtained planning permission. Further investment in individual hospitals must be considered within the overall acute hospital infrastructure programme and the establishment of hospital groups.

As for Deputy Connolly's question on whether I have yet met the hospital group, I have not, but it is my intention to meet all the hospital groups in the coming weeks. At present, I am engaging with all the front-line stakeholder organisations. I had a productive meeting with the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, today and with the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, last week. I will have further meetings with more of the front-line union representatives tomorrow. However, I expect to meet the Saolta board-----

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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In respect of this issue?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In respect of all the health care issues.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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My question was about this issue.

Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy, please allow the Minister to respond.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Obviously, there will be an opportunity for the hospital, through the hospital group structure, to raise whatever issues it wishes to raise with me. This will be a meeting for me to ascertain the priorities of that hospital group in terms of the development of health care facilities in the region.

The Deputy also made a valid point regarding the ongoing need to tackle the trolley crisis, which has shown some signs of improvement this month although, overall, the numbers are still marginally higher this year. I acknowledge that Galway is a particular area of difficulty at certain times. I will attend my first meeting of the emergency department task force, which is co-chaired by the INMO and the HSE, with relevant stakeholders next Monday and I certainly will seek an update on the position in Galway at that meeting. I am happy to keep in touch with Deputy Connolly on these important matters and I hope I have had an opportunity to outline some of the planned service improvements and capital projects. I look forward to having an opportunity to meet the Saolta hospital group in June in order to discuss further its priorities for the region.