Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with that. I thank Senator Lombard for allowing me the opportunity to update the House on the new endoscopy unit in Bantry General Hospital. Bantry General Hospital is a busy model 2 hospital providing services to the population of west Cork and south Kerry, from the Beara and Sheep’s Head peninsulas in the south to Kenmare in the west, Macroom and Clonakilty in the north and Timoleague in the east, and includes several inhabited islands. It is aligned with Cork University Hospital.

The Government has invested significantly in allocating additional resources to Bantry General Hospital to meet the needs of patients using the facility. Staffing at the hospital has grown by 67 since the end of December 2019, from 266 to 331 at the end of March 2024. This represents an increase in staffing of almost 25%, with seven more consultants, 20 more non-consultant hospital doctors, 147 more nurses and midwives and 33 more health and social care professionals.

In 2019, Bantry General Hospital had a budget of just under €20 million. In 2024, the budget increased to just over €25 million, meaning its budget has grown by about 27.5% over the years from 2019 to 2024. Bantry General Hospital has more than 100 inpatient and day-case beds and provides services such as: an urgent care centre, consisting of a medical assessment unit and local injury unit; acute, stroke, rehabilitation and residential services, along with acute general services, including medicine, cardiology, radiology and laboratory services; outpatient services; and a high dependency unit. In addition, a palliative care service is supported by Marymount hospital.

At present, endoscopy services at Bantry General Hospital are provided in the urgent care unit as part of its diagnostic services. Construction of the endoscopy unit in Bantry General Hospital is currently under way and works are scheduled to be complete in quarter three of this year. The new building is anticipated to be handed over by the contractors to HSE estates by quarter three of 2024, at which stage internal inspection by the HSE shall be undertaken. Thereafter, commissioning and equipping of the unit will take place. It is currently envisaged that service delivery will take place by in quarter four of this year. The Senator may also be aware of the proposed stroke rehabilitation unit at Bantry General Hospital, which was tendered for at the same time as the endoscopy unit. This separate project has full planning permission and all statutory compliances. Plans are at an advanced stage to develop the stroke rehabilitation unit, and the project is included in the capital programme for 2024.All capital development proposals must progress through a number of approval stages, in line with the infrastructure guidelines, which supersede the public spending code, including detailed appraisal, planning, design and procurement before funding for each stage can be confirmed. The successful completion of the various approval stages determines the timeline for delivery of capital projects. The 2024 capital plan is with the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, for review and approval. It will be published in line with established procedures once approved.