James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was also in the Dáil last night for what was a truly remarkable occasion. I echo everything that was said by Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin. I give a special mention to the Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, Deputy David Stanton, for his long service and commitment in this area, long before he was ever a Minister of State, particularly when he served as Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality.

I wish to raise a good news item in connection with the new paediatric hospital. It concerns the urgent care unit in Blanchardstown. There was a demonstration of the new model this morning. It is welcome that building is due to start in May. The unit will cater for 20% of the cases that normally arrive in a paediatric hospital. I take the opportunity to commend the wonderful doctors, nurses and staff at Temple Street Hospital and thank them for the decades of service they have given to the people of north Dublin. The new unit will be 50,000 square feet in size and provide consultant-delivered emergency care. It will have short-stay observation unit beds and be staffed by senior clinical paediatricians. It will be open from 8 a.m. until midnight and also provide outpatient services. This is real for the people of the region, particularly those living in Fingal. Commute time to the unit will be 36 minutes from Skerries, 30 minutes from Rush, 16 minutes from Swords, 24 minutes from Balbriggan and only 20 minutes from Malahide and Portmarnock. As I said, building will start in May, to which we all look forward. However, there is a need for a day hospital in Swords in support of the principle that patients be treated as close to their homes as possible in the most appropriate and cost-effective setting. As I have said before, many procedures can be carried out in day hospitals. There are numerous such hospitals around the country and we need one in Swords. It would make a huge dent in waiting lists. I commend the Minister for Health for the progress made to date in this regard. Will the Leader to invite him to come to the House to express his views on day hospitals and the role they can play in addressing waiting lists? In day hospitals one does not see operations cancelled owing to overcrowding in emergency departments. This means that such patients do not end up presenting at emergency departments. I, therefore, ask the Leader to invite the Minister to come to the House to express his views on day hospitals and their role in reducing waiting lists and within the health service more generally, as well as his plans in that regard.