Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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I ask the Minister for Health to address the need for a new inpatient cystic fibrosis unit at Beaumont Hospital. A unit for cystic fibrosis was promised in the programme for Government but, to date, there has been no progress and I fear it may have fallen off the agenda. This matter affects at least 180 adults in the immediate area who have cystic fibrosis and who are in need of such a unit. I have been contacted by a number of people about it and the daughter of one of them has cystic fibrosis. Is the unit still being considered and is any progress being made on it?

The Cystic Fibrosis Hopesource Foundation, which successfully lobbied for a part-funded cystic fibrosis outpatient unit at Temple Street Hospital, set up the first multidisciplinary teams for cystic fibrosis and seed-funded all related salaries for three years. There will be a press conference at Beaumont Hospital on 6 November to address the urgent need for an inpatient unit and I would love to be able to communicate some progress on that date. I will save time for the moment, if that is possible, until I hear the Minister of State's response.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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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.

Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. It is a very satisfactory answer in the sense that the Minister of State has outlined the position regarding the incidence of cystic fibrosis in the country and the ideal model of care. He has acknowledged that 13 to 15 inpatient rooms are necessary for Beaumont Hospital. That is very satisfactory. The RCSI hospital group's operational plan for 2018 includes a capital requirement of €11 million for the unit. What does that mean exactly, in terms of when we will realise an inpatient unit in Beaumont Hospital? There are a lot of other things I could say to make the case for this unit. The Minister of State has acknowledged it needs to be there and will be there. I would like to know what that means. When are we likely to see a unit in Beaumont Hospital?

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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This is a six marker.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach for flagging it. As the Cathaoirleach said, it is a six marker. There is difficulty with the capital side of the budget, as the Senator will appreciate at this moment in time. It is one of the challenges. I am in a struggle in my area trying to secure funding for something that is very close to the Cathaoirleach's heart, which is Bantry General Hospital. I do not mean to take from the Senator's struggle to get funding for Beaumont Hospital. I appreciate it because I have a family member working there and understand the challenges faced by cystic fibrosis patients and their families, most importantly, and the staff working there. There are a number of national projects going on at the moment and that is the challenge we have in the health capital budget. We have the national children's hospital, the national maternity hospital and the national forensic hospital out in Portrane. As they are swallowing up hundreds of millions of euro, it is very difficult to get to all the capital projects. It is in the 2040 plan, as I have said. It has also been cleared by the HSE steering committee, which is an important step to get by. Hopefully increased funding will become available over the years. The model of care has almost been agreed for it. We are a long way towards it but I cannot give the Senator the answer she would like to hear.

Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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I will make a slight response. While the 2040 plan is a really good plan and I am totally on board with it, the danger when the 2040 plan is mentioned is that people get the notion it will not materialise until 2040. Will the Minister of State give me a brief response on that point?

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I am bending the rules to allow the Minister of State to respond.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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I will be brief.

Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State was very brief at the beginning.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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I will be really brief.

Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)
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I am replacing the Cathaoirleach in the Chair next.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Every politician in the House appreciates what the Senator has just said. When we talk about a 2040 plan, it suggests to people it will not happen until 2040. The 2040 plan, as the Senator said, is the way forward because it gives a long-term view and approach rather than doing it on a year-to-year basis. The 2040 plan starts today and that is an absolute fact. There are developments under way.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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The next matter was raised by Senator Murnane O'Connor who has four minutes. In fairness to Senator Noone and the Minister of State, they both complied with the eight-minute rule. I acknowledge they were within their time.