Seanad debates

Tuesday, 25 October 2016

Commencement Matters

Palliative Care Services

2:30 pm

Photo of Frank FeighanFrank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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The palliative care centre is one of three major capital projects being developed at Roscommon County Hospital. I am pleased to report that the €6 million endoscopy project was officially opened recently by the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris. I am also pleased to report that the Minister, Deputy Harris, has given the green light to an €8 million medical rehabilitation unit at the hospital. It will serve as a satellite centre from the west of Ireland to Dún Laoghaire.An eight-bed palliative care unit is the third major capital development being planned on the grounds of Roscommon hospital, bringing the investment to over €20 million. It is very clear that the demand for palliative care services has never been greater. It is predicted that the proportion of older people in Ireland will increase by up to 30% over the next decade. Within the former western health board region, Mayo and Roscommon are predicted to experience the largest increases which consequently will have implications for palliative care services in the region, specifically the number and volume of services required. The report of the national advisory committee on palliative care in 2001 recommended that there should be up to ten specialists inpatient beds for every 100,000 of population with at least one inpatient unit in each of the former ten health board areas.

Unfortunately, no such facility exists in Roscommon and this often leads to crisis admissions to acute hospitals, waits and long travel to hospice or hospital facilities in Galway and Dublin away from family and friends. People who are very ill, and their families, should not have to go through this. It is unacceptable.

The good news is the proposed building of an eight-bed palliative care unit on the grounds of Roscommon hospital. This is very welcome and timely. This has been going on for the past three or four years. The unit will provide inpatient day care and community palliative care services to patients with advanced life-limiting illnesses in County Roscommon. The key to the success of this project is the recruitment of appropriate staff with the necessary skills to deliver quality palliative care and through its great work, the Mayo Roscommon Hospice will fully fund the building costs of the Roscommon project. The last Minister for Health was very committed to funding staff costs. This is one of three projects and it has been working very closely with the endoscopy unit, which is already built and with the rehabilitation unit for which the funding has been allocated to get the go-ahead. I believe the Mayo Roscommon Hospice will provide funding of €5 million but the main issue is the need for the HSE to fund the staffing. Where exactly is this agreement?

Photo of Finian McGrathFinian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I thank Senator Feighan for raising this very important issue. I know he is a passionate supporter of, and campaigner for, palliative care centres, particularly in the Mayo-Roscommon area. It is one of the great success stories of our age that so many more people are living for so much longer. While many older people enjoy good health for most of their lives, there will also inevitably be increased numbers of people living in the community with chronic diseases and life-limiting illnesses. As a society, we need to plan now to meet the needs of these people and palliative care is one of the components that we must think about and prepare for, hence I support Senator Feighan's proposal today. It is the intention of the Government that people will be provided with the type of palliative care services they need, regardless of what diagnosis they have, how old they are or whether they die in a hospice, an acute hospital, a nursing home or at home. Significant progress has been made in recent years in improving access to specialist palliative care services. We now have 202 specialist inpatient palliative care beds in ten locations across the country. That total will rise to 217 once the 15 beds planned for Kerry Hospice are open. The HSE is also working closely with local hospice groups in several locations to ensure equity of access to specialist palliative care across the country. All HSE areas have community specialist palliative home care teams. There are 38 acute hospital specialist palliative care teams across the country and over 170 palliative care support beds in around 80 locations around the country. At present 92% of people receive specialist palliative care services in the community within seven days of referral while 97% have access to a specialist bed within seven days. That is a figure we should all be proud of. There are, of course, issues that remain to be tackled. Senator Feighan asked about the palliative care centre at Roscommon University Hospital. The Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, recently met with the representatives of the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation to discuss the development of the new unit. The hospice group is working closely with the local Health Service Executive community health organisation and the Saolta hospital group to progress the development of the proposed eight-bed unit, which will be built on the grounds of Roscommon University Hospital.

With regard to the allocation of Exchequer funding, the HSE's first priority in the region is the opening of the 14-bed special palliative care inpatient hospice in Mayo. That unit is due to open in 2018. The HSE will continue to work closely with the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation to agree the financial and staffing requirements for the new unit. The required funding will be included by the HSE in its annual Estimates request as soon as is feasible. The successful development of palliative care services in Ireland has been based on a long-standing tradition of positive engagement between the voluntary, statutory and private sectors. Organisations such as Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation have a vital role to play in this work, both by initiating programmes and by collaborating with the HSE in a positive way on a range of fronts to strengthen the provision of palliative care. The Minister looks forward to continuing to work on this collaborative basis in the future.

Photo of Frank FeighanFrank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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I am delighted to be the politician who set up the meeting between the Minister and the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation. Unfortunately, I could not attend as I was getting an ECG in hospital and did not realise how long it would take. I went in at 3 p.m. and left at 9 p.m. I pay tribute to the competency of the staff and surgeons at the Mater Hospital. I saw at first hand the difficult work they do.

I welcome the significant developments at Roscommon University Hospital, which serve as a strong reminder that the hospital is very much open for business. In fact, it has never been busier, which the critics did not envisage five years ago. Roscommon is a shining example to all small hospitals around the country. I take this opportunity to commend the air ambulance service, which saves dozens of lives in towns and villages throughout Roscommon and the wider region. I look forward to the continued development of the palliative care unit in order finally to address the critical lack of inpatient hospice facilities in County Roscommon.

I pay tribute to Ms Cynthia Clampett, Mr. John Murphy and everyone involved in the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation for their hard work and commitment to improving palliative care services and enhancing the quality of life of people in both counties. I look forward to the Minister making an announcement in the coming weeks that the staffing for this vital facility will be progressed. I thank the Minister of State for all the work he is doing in this area.

Photo of Finian McGrathFinian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I take the Senator's points about the long waiting and travel times for people with serious illnesses. It is an issue that requires our focus. However, the main message I will take back to the Minister is the need to progress the staffing issue. I am pleased to hear the Senator received great care in the Mater Hospital and am glad to see him well. I strongly agree with his comments on the magnificent work done by the staff at Roscommon hospital and the brave and caring work of the hospice movement in Roscommon and throughout the country. Hospice staff provide a great service and have an excellent relationship with the voluntary and public sectors. There is a warmth and energy there which one does not always see in other services. It is something of which we can all be proud. I assure the Senator that I will bring the message regarding the staffing requirement directly to the Minister.

Photo of Denis O'DonovanDenis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Unfortunately, there has been a breakdown in communication with Senator Conway-Walsh.She has withdrawn her matter which we will take on Thursday. I thank the Minister of State and call Senator Robbie Gallagher.