Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to update the House on this matter. A Programme for a Partnership Government places a particular focus on a number of key programmes and strategies, including publishing a plan for advancing neurorehabilitation services in the community. The national policy and strategy for the provision of neurorehabilitation services in Ireland for the period 2011 to 2015 made a number of recommendations for services for people with rehabilitation needs. The strategy also covered a range of supports, including clinical; therapeutic; social; vocational and community supports.

The redevelopment of the National Rehabilitation Hospital is well under way and it is expected to be operational in 2020. Funding for phases I and II of this major redevelopment project was included in the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 policy initiative, as part of an overall €10.9 billion strategic investment in health services. It will be a significant enhancement of rehabilitation services and have a direct and significant impact on patient recovery by providing an optimal ward and therapeutic environment for patient treatment. This will enable staff to deliver optimal quality care and treatment in a facility which affords dignity, respect and privacy to all.

Roscommon University Hospital is a model 2 hospital within the Saolta University Health Care Group. It provides a significant range of hospital services for patients in the region, including extended day surgery, certain acute medicine services and local injuries services. It also provides a wide array of diagnostic services, including endoscopy, laboratory medicine, point of care testing and radiology, as well as specialist rehabilitation medicine and palliative care. It plays an essential role as part of the Saolta group of hospitals and will continue to do so in the future. We know that future growth in healthcare will be in the areas of chronic disease management and day surgery, diagnostics and rehabilitation. The activity levels of model 2 hospitals such as Roscommon University Hospital will continue to increase in the coming years as they specialise in providing these services to meet the needs of their local populations.

In 2016 the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, announced the development of a specialist rehabilitation unit at Roscommon University Hospital to design and planning stage, in association with the National Rehabilitation Hospital. The provision of the unit is included in the national development plan, published as part of the Ireland 2040 initiative earlier this year, and will deliver 20 beds and therapy suite accommodation on completion. The HSE has advised that the procurement process for the design team is at the final stage and that the appointment of a design team is imminent. It also advises that the hospital is experiencing traffic congestion and parking difficulties, for which solutions will need to be addressed as part of the planning application process.