Michael Brennan (Progressive Democrats)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, to the House and wish him well in his role in the Department of Health and Children. I also wish the Tánaiste every success. I fully support the amendment.

Much reference has been made to reports. The Hanly report addresses the key issues of how to provide safe, high quality acute hospital services, 24 hours a day, seven day a week and to do so as the working hours of our junior doctors are reduced in line with EU law. In response to that, the approach is to provide appropriate services and procedures in local hospitals, including those claimed by some to be under threat. The proposals will mean a better service for patients.

The Hanly report also recommends investment in local hospitals to provide more services for patients, including elective medical and surgical procedures, outpatient services, pre and post-natal maternity services and better access to diagnostic facilities. The report also recommends a full range of acute hospital services should be available within each region so that patients should not have to travel outside their region other than for specialised supra-regional or national services.

At the core of the report is the retention of local access to acute hospital care. It recommends the decentralisation of a large proportion of the elective care and other services currently delivered in large acute hospitals to smaller, local hospitals. Properly resourced local hospitals can do much more and eliminate the need for people to travel outside their region for most procedures.

Contrary to some reports, the Hanly report does not propose the closure of any hospital. Nor does it propose that any accident and emergency departments or maternity units should close. Instead, the report makes specific recommendations for reorganising hospitals in two health board areas——