Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Freedom of information documents I received in May show that on 18 March, the head of primary care services in the HSE South-West asked who approved the amalgamation of services that led to the closure of SouthDoc in Blackpool, but she got no response. I have asked the same question multiple times and I have got no response. A decision was made to close SouthDoc Blackpool and no one knows who made it and no one is willing to admit it. SouthDoc is being paid millions of euros every year to provide an out-of-hours service in the Kinsale Road and in Blackpool but Blackpool has been closed. I will provide some statistics so that the Minister of State knows I know what I am talking about. In January 2019, SouthDoc in Blackpool saw 2,180 patients. Does the Minister of State know how many it saw in January 2025? Zero. I have the HSE telling me it is not closed. The figures prove it is closed. I asked a question.

In 2021, the HSE advised that SouthDoc Blackpool needed to stay open to prevent people from going to accident and emergency because they could not make it out to the Kinsale Road. They would go to the Mercy Hospital or CUH, which are overcrowded already. When did the HSE change its policy? Who authorised that? The Minister of State is probably going to read out a speech. I do not want to hear any untruths or deception. I am looking for the facts. Who closed SouthDoc in Blackpool and when will it be reopened?

There is a service level agreement in place for millions of euro. Has an audit been done? Who has looked into the service being provided? Are the people getting the service they pay for? This is being paid for. Children are travelling in taxis through the night right across the city, passing the door of Blackpool. A lady from Ballyvolane contacted me to say that she came down Dublin Hill. One minute out the road was Blackpool but instead of going there, she had to cross the whole city. I met a taxi driver from Gurranabraher. He said he met a family, a mother with two sick kids, who had got a taxi out that cost her €40. To be fair to the taxi driver, he brought her home because he knew the woman did not have it. That is not good enough.

The HSE has bottled it. It has buckled and is allowing SouthDoc to make millions of euro and not do its job. I want the truth tonight. I do not want false claims from the HSE. I am sick and tired of the people of the northside being treated like this. Why can we not have a proper health service like everyone else? Why is the northside always being cut? The ambulance service and the orthopaedic service were taken out of the St. Mary's campus. The new hospital for Glanmire has been delayed for years. The primary care centres in Glanmire, Mayfield and Blarney are all delayed and we do not know when they are coming. The one piece of the health service we have on the northside is closed and the HSE is trying to tell me that it is not.

I am asking for answers. I am looking for the truth. I have to go back to Cork and tell the people why the Government is not delivering the out-of-hours care the people of the northside deserve.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. I understand that this issue is very important. The provision of out-of-hours GP services is an important part of healthcare and it is essential that people have access to out-of-hours GP services when needed. It is worrying that the Deputy spoke about children travelling in a taxi during the night to the hospital. That is a concern and is definitely something we need to address.

As the Deputy knows, for Cork and Kerry, out-of-hours urgent GP care is provided by the SouthDoc co-operative. It provides a medical service to a population of approximately 736,000, in addition to the visitors to the area, and it dealt with over 200,000 patient contacts in 2024. While they are private organisations, the HSE provides substantial funding to support out-of-hours co-operatives through individual service level arrangements. To ensure its continued viability, SouthDoc continually reviews its service provision formally with the HSE and on an ongoing basis internally. The Department of Health has engaged with the HSE on the Deputy’s concerns regarding the Blackpool treatment centre. SouthDoc has assured that there is no intention of closing any SouthDoc treatment centre.

SouthDoc provides services on an appointment basis across all treatment centres. When an individual contacts SouthDoc, all relevant information is taken. The nature and the clinical condition of the patient then determines the service provided. If it is determined that a consultation with the duty doctor is appropriate, depending on the circumstances, the consultation may be provided remotely, in person at a suitable treatment centre or through a home visit.

SouthDoc has advised that, since September 2023, routine appointments for patients in Cork city are scheduled at the primary treatment centre on Kinsale Road. In the event that a patient is unable to attend Kinsale Road, they may require a home visit or need to be seen in the Blackpool facility. The location of the appointment is a clinical decision made by the doctor on duty. This operational adjustment was implemented as part of an organisation-wide service review aimed at optimising resources and service delivery while maintaining patient care standards within the available budget.

The HSE has confirmed the Blackpool treatment centre remains available for urgent appointments, where necessary. Patients unable to attend the Kinsale Road centre continue to be seen at the Blackpool centre. In addition, home visits continue in the Blackpool area, supporting patients who meet the clinical criteria and are unable to travel for their appointment. The provision of this service will continue to be evaluated by SouthDoc and the HSE on an ongoing basis. That is what I have been informed by the Department.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State. I accept that she has been given this information and, in all honesty, she has come here and presented it to the Dáil tonight. However, I have to say that information has gone into the Dáil record tonight that is not true. I ask the Minister of State sincerely to go back to the Department and the HSE and ask them why they gave her false information. She is here as a Minister of this country and she was sent in with false, untrue information. The figures I gave her show that, in January 2019, there were 2,180 patients, and in January 2025, there were zero. How in the name of God could Blackpool be open?

Unfortunately, in the last couple of months, my family and I had to use it, and every time we were sent to Kinsale Road. I and my wife have a car so we are able to look after ourselves, but what about vulnerable people, older people, people with young families and people who do not have access? There is no bus link out to the Kinsale Road. How are people going to get a bus at 12 midnight when even at 9 p.m. they cannot get out to the Kinsale Road? The HSE has sent the Minister of State in here tonight with what I hardly dare to say is lies, but it is very close to it. It is manipulating the words. It is twisting it and turning it.

The Government, the Department of Health and the HSE pay SouthDoc millions, and I am not talking about €1 million or €2 million but millions, and it closed down the SouthDoc Blackpool service. I am looking for an investigation. Who made that decision? Is the tail wagging the dog here? Is SouthDoc telling the Government what it will do? Is that the way it is? The Government is paying it. If it does not want to do its job, can we offer it out for tender to another service provider?

We have a situation here. The Minister of State made a statement about the primary treatment centre at Kinsale Road. When did that happen? I have freedom of information replies, loads of them, and that was never confirmed. Does the Minister of State know who made that decision? It was SouthDoc, which is making millions off the SouthDoc service. I want an investigation and I want Blackpool opened.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I understand the Deputy’s concerns. It is something I will go back to the Department to clarify. I have been informed that, as of 5 June last, 22 patients have been seen at the Blackpool clinic in 2025 and approximately 410 home visits were carried out in the Blackpool area in the same period. SouthDoc has confirmed that the Blackpool treatment centre remains operational on an appointment basis. Alternative care may be provided to patients in the area via a home visit. This change to operational arrangements is necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of the out-of-hours service in Cork city. The provision of this service is evaluated by SouthDoc and the HSE on an ongoing basis.

As an Oireachtas Member, a TD and a Minister of State, I understand the Deputy’s concerns. He represents the people and he needs to get answers. I will go back to the Department to get this clarified for him. I know that, in the programme for Government, primary care clinics or injury clinics are part of what we are looking at going forward. It is in the programme for Government and it is something I will definitely be looking at. I will definitely go back to the Department and then come back to the Deputy. I understand how passionate the Deputy is and I see his concerns.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Thank you. An important question the Minister of State might ask is how it can go from 2,200 down to 22, and they are the Minister of State's figures. I respect that the Minister of State is doing her best tonight.