Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I am slightly bemused that he is answering on this matter, which concerns Beaumont Hospital. I have a lot of regard for the Minister of State as we have debated a number of things and taken Bills together. None the less I am extremely disappointed that neither the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, nor the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, is here to discuss one of the busiest hospitals in the country, which is effectively at crisis point. I feel like withdrawing the matter but in deference to the Minister of State, who has given his time, I will not do so, although I will write to the Minister for Health.

Beaumont Hospital has effectively decided to shut down 33 acute surgical beds and to reallocate them for elderly care. These surgical beds are for patients undergoing colorectal, heart, orthopaedic and gynaecological surgery, many of whom are acute and cancer patients. The decision was taken by management without any consultation with staff at the hospital.It is absolutely nuts. I have read Beaumont Hospital's statement which says its key priority is to utilise the capacity and resources available to all patients, both medical and surgical. No one will disagree with that. However, what we are doing here is robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Of course, elderly care is very important, but it is not being funded properly. This flows from the disaster a number of months ago with the fair deal scheme, elderly care and a lack of places. The Minister, Deputy Leo Varadkar, decided to do something about it instead of being merely a commentator, which he is on most health issues. What is happening now, however, is that the hospitals are being told to come up with the extra beds. Taking them away from acute surgical care is insane. The Government will come back and say this is not a big deal and that the number of beds has not been reduced. I am not a fool and I know the same number of beds are there, but some have been taken away from acute medical care. The fact that surgical beds are gone will result in the immediate loss of ten high observation beds that the Hardwicke ward provides as well as five single rooms that are used to nurse surgical patients who may require isolation for specific surgical reasons. That is what is being lost here and it is genuinely shocking. As a Dubliner and Dublin's spokesperson for my party, it is my local hospital. The staff cannot understand this. At least 30 consultants signed a letter which was sent to management and the Minister to say that this was a really bad idea. The nursing staff only found out informally the night before that this would happen. There was no consultation with them. The INMO sat down with representatives of nursing staff and senior management and was told it would be given a detailed report setting out the rationale for these changes. That was on 5 June. Today, is 18 June but nothing has been received.

The Minister of State, Deputy Simon Harris, is always very welcome to the House. I have outlined the case so far and am interested to get the answer. I am incredibly disappointed that the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, and the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, do not see this issue as important enough to actually come to the House and answer questions on. I will reconfigure this Commencement matter and table it again next week, or until such time as the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, who is responsible for this, comes to the House to reply. Nevertheless, I am interested to hear what the Minister of State will say on behalf of the Department of Health as an office holder in the Department of Finance.