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

Ireland has the world’s highest incidence of cystic fibrosis. There are over 1,100

people registered as having cystic fibrosis in Ireland. Life expectancy for people with the disease and the complexity of cystic fibrosis care have both increased progressively in recent years. This has resulted in an increase in the number of adults with cystic fibrosis being treated in adult centres. In addition, there has been an increase in average disease severity. The existing cystic fibrosis centre at Beaumont Hospital is one of the largest in Ireland. It provides specialist treatment and services to adults with cystic fibrosis. Beaumont Hospital conducts a significant amount of research into cystic fibrosis and this contributes to the body of research and understanding of the condition.

As the Senator noted, A Programme for a Partnership Government includes a commitment to the development of a dedicated cystic fibrosis unit at Beaumont Hospital. This unit will be underpinned by the model of care for people with cystic fibrosis in Ireland, which is being developed by the national clinical programme for cystic fibrosis. The model of care will set out standards and requirements for the physical and human resources to be provided for treatment of cystic fibrosis patients from a national perspective.This model of care is undergoing the final stages of approval. It states that adult cystic fibrosis units must have dedicated single inpatient isolation rooms with ensuite facilities and the number of rooms will depend on the number of patients. There should be five inpatient rooms for every 50 adults with cystic fibrosis attending a unit. Cross-infection poses extremely dangerous problems for people with cystic fibrosis, therefore single rooms are critical for their safe care.

The national clinical programme for cystic fibrosis asked the cystic fibrosis registry of Ireland to carry out a census of people with cystic fibrosis in early 2017. The census results indicated the number of people with cystic fibrosis attending Beaumont Hospital at that time was between 135 and 150, indicating the need for approximately 13 to 15 inpatient rooms for the hospital. My Department, the HSE and the RCSI hospital group are supportive of the development of a new cystic fibrosis unit and recognise the need for capital development in supporting the delivery of key services to patients of Beaumont Hospital. The RCSI hospital group's operational plan for 2018 includes a capital requirement of €11 million for the unit. In terms of the progression of the cystic fibrosis unit, I am happy to confirm it has been included in the national planning framework under Project Ireland 2040, as well as being recommended for inclusion in the capital plan by the HSE national capital steering committee.