Phil Prendergast (Labour)

I am delighted to welcome the Minister of State. I support the Bill, but I have a few questions to ask about it.

My colleagues and I have received an amount of correspondence on the following issue. I am aware there has been a delay in timelines in moving from the site. The move was due to take place in 2011. The date was extended first to 2014 and now to 2015. There will always be factors influencing the roll-out of any closure or change of use. I am aware that patients will be treated in St. James's Hospital and Beaumont Hospital. There will be an impact because of the closure of 65 beds in Beaumont Hospital and the moratorium on staff recruitment.

I recently received an e-mail from a lovely woman:

Saving St Lukes is more than the building and the lands but it is retaining the hospital as it is and even adding to what it can do, rather than winding it down. Currently patients attending St Lukes receive more than the standard care and develop what can only be called a close relationship with both the team they deal with and indeed all the staff who work in St Lukes, as opposed to attending for similar facilities in other more mainstream hospitals where patients feel they are on a conveyor belt and indeed keel over if a staff member knows their name without looking at a file!

Surely, you have to agree, that in these darkened days patients need and deserve the light into their lives that the staff and facilities in St Lukes bring to them.

I urge you on behalf of these, and future patients, to vote against the Bill.

I can accept the concepts expressed in that email. St. Luke's Hospital has been caring for cancer patients for more than 50 years. Its website notes that it is truly "A Haven in Rathgar" for the thousands of patients from all over Ireland treated there each year. A history of the hospital, with this title, was published in December 2007. A family member of mine was treated there and was treated very well. I am aware that when it comes to the treatment of patients, the building in which they are treated can have a big psychological effect on their ability to recover. Sometimes not enough attention is paid to the holistic aspects of cancer treatment. Patients employ different ways of dealing with their diagnosis. It is the case that their personal circumstances can be helped by the way they are nursed. The mission statement of St. Luke's Hospital is linked with its surroundings; the hospital is an oasis when it seems there is chaos everywhere else in the health service.

I recently attended a seminar in the Coombe Women's Hospital. I arrived very early in the morning. As I worked as a midwife in a hospital for many years, I am very conscious of how people from outside view what is seen as normal by those working in a hospital and how they deal with people. The environment of a hospital is very familiar to those who work in it. They are familiar with directional signs and instructions such as the red arrow pointing to the maternity ward, the green arrow pointing to the X-ray department and the blue line pointing somewhere else. They try to make it easy for people, but it can only be descsribed as chaotic for those trying to identify the different roles played by staff in a hospital. For instance, I was never comfortable looking at name tags because I always thought I should know the individuals concerned. Because I was involved in politics, everyone thought I should know them when, in fact, I was the worst person in the world for remembering people's names.

Has the Minister of State engaged with the Friends of St. Luke's Hospital and the board of St. Luke's Hospital? Have they made proposals? I know this is departing somewhat from the topic. It was sad to read Ms Orla Tinsley in The Irish Times and to hear her on "Liveline" discussing how the cystic fibrosis unit has not gone ahead and what this means for those in her situation, where being isolated is a major factor in preventing cross-infection, which has catastrophic effects on their health. For people who have illnesses and whose immune system is bombarded by treatment such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, isolation is an important aspect of treatment. There is nothing like a natural setting where fresh air is part of it. My general nursing training was at Waterford Regional Hospital. All of the wards were laid out as sanatoriums because the building used to be a sanatorium. Every ward had four beds and full double doors on to a veranda. When I worked in the orthopaedic unit and we had fine young lads in with broken legs because of their antics, we used to put them in the sun on the veranda. We did not have information on putting people in the sun and letting them get fried but we did not do that, we used to do it for only a few hours. It is important to have a good diet, fresh air, a calm environment, good music, good therapists and people with the best interests of patients and their outcomes at the top of the agenda. I agree with specialist centres but sometimes people need to have a moment to give someone some time. Surroundings are particularly important and the idea of an isolated garden, waterfalls and music or art therapy within the footprint of a modern hospital means that St. Luke's Hospital, Rathgar, is a gem. These factors are so important to people.

An earlier contribution referred to fundraising and the €26 million raised by Friends of St. Luke's Hospital. I compliment those who raise funds. I have never passed a fundraising container for St. Luke's. This was the case before I ever had a personal need for it. St. Luke's Hospital is synonymous with excellent care. One of the issues concerns the future of the site. People would like to know the site is enshrined so that the Minister has the final say, with this taking into account the views of relatives.

I refer to the rollout of colorectal screening. I looked at the national cancer registry and saw that between 2005 and 2007, an annual average of more than 27,000 new cancers were registered. The most common was prostate cancer, with 2,462 cases. We spoke briefly about the heartsafe programme and people taking responsibility for their health. All men over 40 years of age should have their PSA checked. This is a blood test to detect prostate cancer. We have a regular NCT for cars and people should have the same for themselves. This should include screening programmes such as BreastCheck. Breast cancer is the second most common at 2,335 cases and colorectal accounted for 2,156 cases. Lung cancer accounted for 1,118 cases, which is a major amount even though it is reducing because people have more of an idea of the risk factors associated with smoking. The risk of developing cancer is 6.6 per 1,000. Early screening, detection and prevention is key in respect of how we treat and manage people. We are talking about a facility that gave the very best care to people with cancer.

I refer to the new radiation technology at St. Luke's Hospital, which will improve survival and quality of life for cancer patients. This was the first public hospital in Ireland to make the most advanced technology available to patients. This provided great comfort for those who were treated and will continue to be treated at St Luke's Hospital until the timeline for relocation has been finalised. If the answers about the future use of this site can be clearly indicated, people will be happy with the outcome. I thank the Minister of State for her attention.