Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh, agus gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir freisin. I propose to take this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Mary Harney, the Minister for Health and Children.

The Health Service Executive is obliged to provide services in line with available funding. The service levels for 2008 are set out in the HSE's national service plan. These include national service level targets for acute hospitals of almost 600,000 inpatient discharges, more 580,000 day cases, and more than 2.7 million outpatient attendances. Similarly, each acute hospital has annual service targets that include numbers of inpatients, day cases and outpatients. Letterkenny General Hospital has seen major increases in funding and activity in recent years, with many new services being developed. This year there has been a substantial reduction in waiting lists for surgery, due in particular to the increase in day cases. Activity at the hospital has increased significantly in the past year as new developments have come on stream. Already this year the hospital is ahead of its 2008 service plan targets. The Minister for Health and Children understands from the HSE that there has been a 25% increase in day cases and that the number of outpatients treated has increased by 11%.

The HSE advises that the approved expenditure for Letterkenny General Hospital is approximately €112 million for 2008. The executive has advised that it is taking steps to ensure that the overall level of activity at the hospital in the current year can be funded from within this sum. The Minister understands that the HSE is currently discussing a number of measures with staff in the hospital, including a proposal to attempt to renegotiate contracts with certain suppliers to obtain better value, as well as other measures with regard to activity that it not patient-related. It is also proposed that services in the day service unit be scaled back for several weeks in August. This will not affect oncology and haematology day services and will allow services to be managed more efficiently at a time of reduced activity and at peak holiday time. It may involve closing the day service unit for a week or two in August. The temporary closure of one of the smaller 20-bed wards in the hospital is also proposed, and the staff concerned will be transferred to cover vacancies, maternity leave and sick leave elsewhere in the hospital.

The HSE remains committed to minimising the impact of these measures on patients. It has also given an assurance that emergency and urgent services will not be affected. Accident and emergency, maternity, outpatients, renal dialysis and chemotherapy services will operate as normal.