Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

I will take this matter on behalf of my colleague the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. The Government is committed to ensuring the delivery of the best quality health services possible and to providing the highest possible standard of patient care in an effective and efficient way within the resources available. Patient safety and quality of care are at the core of how we provide health services. Patients get the best health outcomes when complex care is delivered in hospitals with high volumes of patients. Less complex care and many diagnostic services can and will be provided locally throughout the country.

Beginning in 2012, hospitals must comply with new licensing arrangements which will be underpinned by quality and safety standards. All hospitals will have to meet these standards, which will ensure people get the right care in the right place at the right time from the right person. Also, we must comply with the European working time directive, which requires the HSE to reduce the hours of non-consultant hospital doctors.

In light of these considerations the HSE commenced a review in 2009 of acute hospital services in the south east to ensure that they would be organised to meet the challenges of the future and to ensure the best health outcomes for patients. All hospitals in the south-eastern hospital group, including Wexford General Hospital, Waterford Regional Hospital, South Tipperary General Hospital and St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny, are encompassed by the review. Senior clinical and management personnel from each hospital are involved. The process also involves extensive consultation with professional and service user interests throughout the region.

Since his appointment in 2009, the HSE's National Director of Quality and Clinical Care has appointed several experts to examine how a range of specialist services can best be delivered. They will consult widely and work with the relevant professional bodies to develop safe and appropriate models of care nationally. Areas under examination include obstetrics, stroke services, neurology, rheumatology, diabetes, epilepsy, heart failure and cystic fibrosis. Decisions about how services are organised in the south east will be guided by this work. I emphasise that no decisions have yet been made with regard to the future organisation of hospital services in the south east. When they are developed, the HSE also intends to bring its proposals to public consultation before final decisions are made.

On the Minister's behalf, I echo the appreciation expressed by the HSE to Dr. Colm Quigley for the significant contribution he has made as clinical lead for the review of acute services in the south east. Dr. Quigley has devoted a great effort to working with a wide range of health professionals and users of the health services to explore workable and appropriate options for the future delivery of hospital services. Dr. Quigley will continue to represent Wexford General Hospital at the south-east hospital reconfiguration steering group, which includes clinical directors from each of the four acute general hospitals in the region. Finally, I assure the House that, while no proposals have yet been finalised or decisions made, all four acute hospitals in the south east will continue to play a significant part in the delivery of hospital services to people living in the region.