Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Baineann mo cheist le barda Naomh Monica in Ospidéal na hOllscoile, Gaillimh. Tá sé dúnta anois le beagnach trí mhí agus gan focal ón ospidéal maidir le cén fáth go raibh sé dúnta, nó fiú go raibh sé dúnta. Bhí orm an cheist a ardú sa Dáil coicís ó shin. Tá mé fós ag fanacht ar fhreagra ón Aire. Fuair mé freagra ón ospidéal seachtain tar éis mo cheiste a bheith curtha agam. Is ceisteanna bunúsacha iad seo. Cén fáth an raibh an barda dúnta? Cén uair a bheidh sé oscailte arís? Cad mar gheall ar na hothair? Sin an cheist is tábhachtaí. Seo 2022 agus cailleadh Savita Halappanavar in 2012. Tá straitéis náisiúnta máithreachais againn agus tá muid ag déanamh beag is fiú den straitéis sin.

I must raise the issue of St. Monica's ward in University Hospital Galway, UHG. I heard that it was closed for three weeks. I decided to write to the hospital's management and ask it some basic questions about when it closed, why it was closed, when it was going to reopen and, most importantly, what the implications were for the patients on the main gynaecology ward of UHG, which serves approximately 1 million people from Donegal to Galway. The Minister of State is familiar with the hospital.

Savita Halappanavar died in 2012. Her death and the deaths of many other women - significantly, until Deputy Martin Browne entered the Chamber, all of the representatives on the floor were female, but this matter is of concern to us all, including the male Deputies - were never to happen again, so we developed a national maternity strategy. Here we have UHG's main ward closed, though.

When I got answers, I found out that it had been closed since March. Was the Minister of State aware of that? She can answer me later, but the Minister was certainly not aware of it, and neither were people in Galway. People are contacting Deputies at their peril, terrified that something might happen to them. We call them "whistleblowers" when all they are doing is making basic facts known to us. I found out to my horror that the ward had been closed since 23 March. I am told that it will not be reopening, although it is not put in that way. The hospital's management gave me no date because the hospital has no staff. It does not tell me what staff the hospital does not have or what the management has done to address this issue since March. The management tells me that there are no consequences to the closure, which begs the question as to why the ward was necessary in the first place.

I will put this in perspective. The person involved has given me permission to read out this correspondence. I will not use her name: "I heard you on [the local radio] and I was so upset to hear that the HSE has told you that the closure of the main Gyne ward in UHG has had no impact on care well let me tell you my story." She does this in four very short lines, at the start of which she gives her name and says that she had an operation elsewhere, after which she took ill at home and was brought by ambulance to UHG. She continues:

The harrowing scenes we then witnessed in the Emergency Surgical Unit were beyond distressing.

I then waited 3 nights on a trolley after major surgery before I could be given a bed in St Angela's [this is one of the two wards identified for use while St. Monica's ward is closed]. Every day I heard o we'll have a bed today for you. I was admitted on [Tuesday at 1.30 a.m.] and did not get a bed until that Friday evening at 6.30pm.

It is unusual for me to read out something, but when I was trying to digest the answer and see where the meaning was, that brought it home that this is spin. It is unacceptable that this is the reality. I spoke to that person and she said she witnessed patients on the ground with blankets over them. I will leave it to the Minister of State to answer.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this question and it is not the first time she has raised it here. I have also heard the Deputy talk about it locally. As the Deputy has said, St. Monica's ward in University Hospital Galway was temporarily closed on 23 March this year, but I am pleased to report the ward reopened on 13 June. I reassure the Deputy that during this time all gynaecology patients were cared for in St. Angela's ward and we are aware of that. Experienced staff from St. Monica's ward provided care to the women in St. Angela's ward. In addition, women who experience a foetal loss were cared for in St. Catherine's antenatal ward by experienced midwives. No gynaecology surgeries were cancelled due to the ward closure or due to bed capacity during that time.

To answer the Deputy’s question I was not aware it was closed initially and now I am telling the Deputy it is open as of 13 June. In the answer I have and which the Deputy has, there is no reason given that ward closed so I cannot answer that question the Deputy asked me. As part of the Saolta University Health Care Group, University Hospital Galway is the Saolta model 4 hospital delivering emergency medicine, acute medicine and acute surgical and critical care 24 hours a day, seven days per week. It is one of the major teaching hospitals and it is partnered with the National University of Ireland, Galway. Since 2018, €3.1 million in funding has been provided for additional staff for women's health services in University Hospital Galway, and the Government is committed to promoting and improving women's health outcomes. It was only this morning that I read in our local newspaper about the menopause clinic that will be opening in September this year.

The HSE's national women's and infant's health programme has developed an ambulatory gynaecological model of care that centres on the establishment of one-stop see-and-treat ambulatory gynaecology clinics. The development of these clinics will help to improve access to gynaecological services, reduce the requirement for multiple gynaecological appointments and ensure sustainability of service provision into the future. Importantly, it will help to improve clinical outcomes. It is estimated that approximately 70% of general gynaecological referrals are suitable for management in this setting. The roll-out of this new model of care began in 2020 and at present nine of these clinics are operational, including the one in University Hospital Galway.

I confirm that St. Monica's ward has reopened and that the patients have been provided with care in other wards in the hospital. I apologise that the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, is not here himself to answer the question, but at the same time he has taken on board what the Deputy has raised here and he has asked questions on it. I am glad to see the outcome is this ward is operational again.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State. How many beds have reopened? How many beds are in St. Monica's ward? Have they told the Minister of State that?

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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No, they have not.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I think it is 17 or 19 but I am not sure. They have given the Minister of State an answer simply because I raised it in the Dáil, like other Deputies do. I have received no reply from the Minister. I know he is busy and I know exactly how busy the Minister of State is. I pay tribute to her work all the time but this is the most serious situation. This is spin upon spin. If the ward is closed because of a lack of staff, and I welcome that it is reopened, then how did it suddenly reopen? Where did they get the staff from? Why did they have to close it in the first place?

There was mention of communications in the previous Topical Issue matter and I understand the communications unit had no idea St. Monica's ward was closed since March. I did not know it was closed. The person who told me said in great fear that it was closed for three weeks. It was closed since March and nobody was going to tell us that. It was not going to reopen on whichever date the Minister of State gave us and we do not know if all the beds have reopened. I am a female Deputy and I have read all the reports, including the report on the series of deaths in Portiuncula University Hospital and the long-term consequences of practices there. I have read the report on the Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise, the report on Savita Halappanavar and all of the reports, and here we are. Two years ago I was obliged to bring a motion before the Dáil for the implementation of the national maternity strategy, following on HIQA's condemnation. I will take the word "condemnation" back because HIQA is not inclined to condemn but it had serious concerns with the failure to implement the national maternity strategy more than halfway through its term.

The Minister of State does not engage in spin and that is the last thing I want. When I raised this two weeks ago, I got all the good news. I read the strategies and I do not need to be told about these things. I am here to highlight an unacceptable situation, disingenuous communications, the most serious consequences for women and a pretence that they are being treated in other wards that are at capacity. I visited someone in hospital a few weeks ago and there were 17 people there, men and women, in various stages of distress and undress, and the nurses were run ragged. There is something seriously wrong with our model in the hospitals in Galway generally but I will stick to the point today.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. She is right that it is unacceptable that a ward would be closed and that we would not be communicated with on it so that we would know how many beds were closed. I do not know today how many beds have reopened other than I have been told the ward is open. I will find out for the Deputy. When we talk about spin and everything else, I know the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, takes this role seriously, so much so that he paid a surprise visit to the accident and emergency department in University Hospital Galway last Thursday night week. He walked right through it unannounced because he wants to see it operational as the Deputy and I hear about daily from our constituents. I have to thank him for paying that flying visit, unannounced, to see what our accident and emergency department is like.

The Deputy is right that the accident and emergency department is one of the issues that takes over our headlines regularly, as is the women's and maternity side of the hospital. I am glad to see the ward is open but I will be twice as happy when I know it is open to full capacity. People entering the gynaecological side of University Hospital Galway are going there for various reasons and there are various levels of trauma from which we need to protect each woman who is passing through it. It could be a woman getting the good news she is pregnant, it could be a woman in for a 12-week scan, it could be a lady who is experiencing the loss of a baby or it could be other ladies who have gone in for many other issues. We need to ensure the hospital works to maximise the supports for women who are entering it. I will get the Deputy an answer on whether the ward is open to full capacity.