Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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121. To ask the Minister for Health if she is aware of the issues of water leaking in the orthopaedic surgical theatre is Sligo University Hospital, causing surgeries to be cancelled; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23221/25]

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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Sligo University Hospital has the worst-resourced orthopaedic Department with the worst orthopaedic infrastructure in the country. This is an unfortunate reality. It is a consistent struggle for surgeons to get work done there. The current issue is that the theatre roof leaked last week during intense rain showers. Water enters what is supposed to be a sterile area and compromises sterility. This increases the chances of surgical patients getting infections, which is a major patient safety issue. I know the Minister is aware of this issue. It is not just about getting the roof fixed; it is about getting a new surgical block. That is what is needed in that regard to resolve this problem long term.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. The Government is committed to the ongoing development of Sligo and our other regional hospitals. As he said, I am aware that there were issues with water leaks at the hospital and that in particular on 18 April, the leak led to the temporary closure of the orthopaedic theatre for eight days to allow for cleaning and air sampling to be undertaken, and I am told that additional monitoring is ongoing. While the theatre was closed, as the Deputy will be aware, a number of orthopaedic surgeries were unfortunately postponed. The HSE is working to reschedule those surgeries for those patients as quickly as possible.

As the Deputy will also be aware, two weeks ago I was there on site. I met with some of the surgeons. I heard directly from them on their perspective, not just on the theatre but as he said, on the surgical block and surgical issues more generally related to the north west. I thank them for their engagement. I was told at that point that there would be a meeting on 13 May, which is today, between surgeons, HSE estates and HSE management. I received an update this evening on that meeting. The purpose of that meeting was that the clinicians and HSE management would meet together to review the situation and plan the next steps and hopefully enable the full restoration of full orthopaedic surgeries, including elective surgeries. My information this evening from Mr. Tony Canavan is that, as I said on the day of the news report that I expected this to be fixed, HSE estates has outlined the immediate repairs to be done to the roof but more crucially, as the Deputy is more than aware, the plan to replace the roof entirely this year. It is my expectation that the roof will be repaired entirely this year, hopefully by somebody other than the people who did the initial leak repairs because they were clearly ineffective. That is my expectation of HSE estates.

The surgeons will reflect on the situation and a follow-up meeting is planned with them next week, after which there will be a series of follow-up meetings to monitor progress throughout the year. I hope that will resolve the issues in respect of the roof. I will address the other issues in my next contribution.

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I appreciate the Minister's update. It is positive that the management is meeting with the surgeons to try to deal with this situation. I spoke to some of the surgeons, who are extremely frustrated. They want to do their job but they cannot do it effectively in the facilities they have. There are only eight elective orthopaedic beds in the ward, which must be shared between the patients of six consultants. The situation is not fit for purpose in the long term. We need to look at how to deal with this. The surgeons pointed out a number of issues to me, including that the ward is too small, the whole theatre complex is too small and there is no storage space for equipment, with boxes and plant kept elsewhere and surgical implements in danger of contamination because they must be moved into and out of the ward. There is a whole range of issues. New doors were put in that were too heavy for the walls, which are very old and are not fit for purpose. We really need to see a plan for how we will replace the surgical theatre for the future. That plan needs to be brought forward with urgency.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The HSE's capital plan for 2025 details the planned infrastructure investments for Sligo University Hospital. We have discussed the roof but there are also plans for a multi-service block development that will encompass a wide range of services, including a theatre department. Plans for that multi-service block are currently at detailed design stage. There has been significant investment in Sligo in recent years, including in the new 26-bed block. As I saw the day I was there, a 42-bed block is due to begin construction this summer. There is also a new CT scanner.

I compliment the staff of Sligo University Hospital, who have been much more effective in the past number of months in the management of their rosters, with the exception of one blip last weekend in regard to infection. They really have made a significant difference since February through their rosters and practices, thereby bringing trolley numbers down very considerably, including by more than 70% on bank holiday weekends. That is a function of their additional time investment and focus on the issues. I acknowledge that and thank them for their work.

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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That is positive news but we need to put a deadline on this to ensure it happens. While the new complex may be at design stage, it is a long way from being built. As Deputy Connolly mentioned in regard to Galway, people talk about these things for years and years but nothing happens. That is the reality. We do not want that situation to occur in this case.

There are other facilities can be utilised more. For instance, Our Lady's Hospital in Manorhamilton could be utilised for some of the orthopaedic treatment day services, including for people who come in for injections or small day surgeries. Places like that can be used. Manorhamilton is only up the road and could deal with some of the overcrowding and other issues at Sligo University Hospital. Mr. Gaine has spoken to me about that and I hope he has also spoken to the Minister about it. A number of the other surgeons have innovative ideas as to how we can deal with this situation and try to progress to a position whereby we have a proper service in place for people such that they would not be in danger like they are at the moment. The risk of infection is a real danger on the ward in question. We must all acknowledge that. I welcome any change or movement on this issue. We simply cannot continue just talking about it. The new surgical block has been talked about for 30 years. We need to make it happen.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I agree with the Deputy. It is my intention to do that, along with expanding surgical capacity more broadly in the north west, which we will speak about further. I agree about the need for an innovative approach. Already, some measures have been put in place in that regard. I want to see the immediate issues resolved very quickly in order that the surgeons are not dealing with them going into the autumn this year. There should be no excuse in that regard. I agree with the Deputy about what needs to happen over the medium and longer term.

I go back to the question we are all going to face regarding the infrastructure guidelines, how we deliver major capital projects, the length of time they take and the number of stages involved. It is a question of coming to the best way of proceeding whereby we get multiple bidders for these major infrastructure projects and have a competitive process that will deliver the right outcomes. In my time in the north west ten days to two weeks ago, across Leitrim, Sligo and Donegal, while I saw significant capacity and additional beds through community nursing homes, chronic disease management centres, community virtual wards and so on, there is a substantial body of work to do.