Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am taking the Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, Deputy James Reilly, the Minister for Health. I thank the Senator for raising the matter and for the opportunity to discuss the reports that were launched on Tuesday. They signal a fundamental modernisation of the health system in line with best practice.

We know that the traditional practice of providing as many services as possible in every hospital is neither sustainable nor safe. The formation of acute hospitals into a small number of groups, each with its own governance and management, will provide an optimum configuration for hospital services to deliver high quality, safe patient care in a cost-effective manner. In the longer term, each group's viability and future prosperity will be realised by its ability to deliver a comprehensive range of services across the group.

The establishment of hospital groups will see small and larger hospitals working together as one. This is a key foundation stone for the eventual abolition of the HSE and the introduction of universal health insurance for the people. These huge reforms will take time but the establishment of hospital groups is a significant milestone in achieving the vision set out in the Future Health initiative.

Securing the Future of Smaller Hospitals: A Framework for Development, which the Minister also published on Tuesday, offers clear information about the role of our smaller hospitals and what they will do in the future. The framework focuses, in particular, on the role of nine smaller hospitals, including Our Lady's Hospital, Navan.

The hospital has the potential to carry out more complex surgery than most of the other smaller hospitals. More patients will be treated in Navan as part of the new hospital group. The hospital will do more work in a large number of areas including day surgery, diagnostics, rehabilitation and chronic disease management. Accident and emergency services will continue on a 24-7 basis as capacity issues within the group remain unresolved. Endoscopy services will be enhanced. Elective endoscopy and day surgery services will be further developed, including general surgery, gynaecology and urology to maximise utilisation of resources and reduce waiting times. Outpatient services will also be expanded. Discussions will commence immediately within the group to draw up a plan to address the issue in the context of the strategic plan which the group must develop within a year of its formation.

All hospital groups are required to submit a strategic plan in which to outline its plans for future services within the group area. Consultation will be a key component of this planning, including consultation with local communities. Smaller hospitals will play a crucial role in the delivery of services. The framework for smaller hospitals commits to the expansion of services delivered in smaller hospitals, especially in services such as day surgery, ambulatory care, medical services and diagnostics. In this regard, a new ED-minor injury unit is being constructed in Our Lady's Hospital, Navan.

When groups are established services can be exchanged between sites. This will result in the maintenance of activity in smaller hospitals. It will allow them to focus on the provision of high volume less complex care that is safe and appropriate. The measure is intended to lead to significant increases in overall activity in these hospitals providing care as close as possible to the local people's home.