Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to set out the position on funding support for patients from the Sligo area travelling for cancer treatment. The need for patients to travel arises partly as a result of the consolidation of cancer services that has taken place in the past two years. It is also the case that some cancer services, in particular radiotherapy, have always been located in a small number of hospitals. The university hospital in Galway and Limerick Regional Hospital have been, since 2005, the hospitals providing radiotherapy services in the HSE western region.

The consolidation of cancer services over the past two years has been undertaken by the national cancer control programme in line with the recommendations in the 2006 national cancer control strategy. The goals of the programme are better cancer prevention, detection and survival through a national service based on international evidence and best practice. Achieving these goals has required the realignment of cancer services to move from a fragmented system of care to one consistent with international best practice in cancer control. Eight hospitals in Ireland were designated by the HSE as cancer centres in line with the recommendations of the 2006 strategy. The designation of cancer centres aims to ensure patients receive the highest quality standards of care while at the same time allowing local access to services where appropriate. This means diagnosis and treatment planning being managed by multidisciplinary teams based at the cancer centres, with treatment other than surgery, such as chemotherapy, delivered in local hospitals.

The HSE has designated University College Hospital Galway and the Mid-Western Regional Hospital as the two cancer centres in the managed cancer control network for the HSE western region, which includes Sligo. I recognise, as does the national cancer control programme, that the consolidation of cancer services in the eight centres means that patients may need to travel longer distances than heretofore to access some cancer services. For patients in Sligo, this applies particularly to breast cancer diagnosis and surgery which are now located at Galway. Radiotherapy services for Sligo patients, on the other hand, continue to be located at Galway as has been the case since 2005. Outpatient radiation oncology clinics continue to be delivered at Sligo, as does medical oncology. A second medical oncologist is being appointed on a permanent basis at Sligo to support this service.

In 2008, the Friends of Sligo Hospital applied for a lottery grant for the purchase of a bus and €170,000 was provided in September 2008. I understand the bus has now been purchased and will replace an existing bus which had been in operation for Sligo patients for some time. I am advised that the Friends of Sligo Hospital has sought funds from the national cancer control programme for the running costs of the bus.

I assume the €750,000 fund about which Senator MacSharry spoke refers to the Travel2Care scheme. The scheme is funded by the national cancer control programme and administered by the Irish Cancer Society on its behalf. It is being implemented on a phased basis in line with the transfer of cancer services to the designated centres and the approved satellite centre where this transfer of services has caused financial hardship. The scheme provides some financial help towards the costs of public transport such as trains or buses, private transport costs or petrol and parking.

The Government is committed to making the full range of cancer services available and accessible to cancer patients throughout Ireland in accordance with best international standards. The provision of funding by the national cancer control programme under the Travel2Care scheme recognises the impact on patients of travelling for services. The provision of lottery funding to the Friends of Sligo Hospital is a further step in helping to alleviate the impact for patients of travel for some services.

The HSE is reviewing its policy on eligibility for non-ambulance based patient transport services in order that a consistent policy is adopted nationally for these services. The Minister is requesting as a matter of urgency that the issue of funding of the bus from Sligo to University College Hospital Galway be resolved in the context of this policy review.