Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney.

Approximately 77 million laboratory tests are undertaken annually across 44 public hospitals. At present the annual cost of this service is approximately €470 million. The workload comprises both urgent and non-urgent tests and a significant proportion of the activity originates in the primary care setting. As with all other parts of the health service and the public service generally, it is essential that laboratory services are delivered as safely and as cost-effectively as possible.

The external review of laboratory services which was conducted for the HSE by Teamwork Management Services in 2007 highlighted limitations in the organisation of laboratories. These limitations had an adverse effect on quality, turnaround and cost. The review found at that time that "the whole system quality" of laboratories was not of a sufficiently high standard. The review also found that the overall proportion of individual laboratory medicine disciplines that had achieved accreditation status was low, "end-to-end" information systems were unsatisfactory and logistic services were inadequate. It found as well that the general condition of the laboratory estate typically was of traditional design and outmoded.

In light of the review, the HSE announced plans last year to modernise laboratory services and achieve significant efficiencies in the configuration and operation of these services. The HSE has already had significant engagement with stakeholders in progressing this initiative. Groups such as the faculty of pathology, the Medical Laboratory Scientists Association and the Association of Clinical Biochemists will continue to have a significant input into the process.

As part of this initiative, the HSE has commenced discussions with the National Development Finance Agency about the capital financing of a small number of dedicated "cold" laboratories to process the large volumes of routine patient tests, many of which originate in primary care, currently undertaken in hospital laboratories. This process will include a robust analysis of the cold laboratory business model from a value-for-money perspective.

The Minister is pleased to acknowledge that some improvements in laboratory services have taken place since the completion of the Teamwork review. The number of individual accredited laboratory disciplines has increased significantly. In addition, some reconfiguration of laboratory services has been achieved by transferring work undertaken in a number of small laboratories to larger laboratories. This has allowed for a higher level of throughput. The HSE has indicated that improved processes introduced in the past year have achieved non-pay savings in 2009 of some €5 million.

The Minister is satisfied that the measures being taken by the HSE, with ongoing input from stakeholders, to modernise laboratory services are necessary and appropriate for the reasons which have been outlined. On behalf of the Minister I again acknowledge the important contribution of staff and other stakeholders to the planning and implementation of these changes and to the shared commitment of all to the objective of providing high quality, cost effective laboratory services. The Minister looks forward to continued significant progress on this important agenda for the health service.