Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 162: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children further to Question No. 792 of 29 September 2004, when quarterly cervical smear clinics will be reinstated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29696/04]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The provision of health services for people living in County Roscommon is a matter for the Western Health Board. My Department has made inquiries of the board and I am advised that the board is currently preparing a reply in this matter which will issue directly to the Deputy.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 163: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the action she will take with regard to patients on trolleys at Tallaght Hospital; and the reason all patients are facing the same way on the trolleys at the hospital. [29703/04]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Services at the Adelaide and Meath Hospital, incorporating the National Children's Hospital, Tallaght, are provided under an arrangement with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has, therefore, asked the regional chief executive of the authority to examine this issue and to reply to the Deputy directly.

I have identified the delivery of accident and emergency services as a priority area for attention. Many of the difficulties and delays experienced in emergency medicine, accident and emergency, departments reflect system-wide issues. It is, therefore, necessary to take a whole-system approach, involving primary care, acute care, and sub-acute and community care in tackling the problems in emergency medicine departments.

I have secured additional funding of €70 million in new current expenditure in 2005 to implement a number of initiatives to improve the delivery of emergency services. These include improvements in the following areas: patient flows through accident and emergency departments by developing and expanding minor injury units, chest pain clinics and respiratory clinics in hospitals; acute medical units for non-surgical patients; GP out-of-hours services; the physical environment for patients and staff including cleaning and security measures; direct access for GPs to diagnostic services; the availability of acute beds for emergency patients by sourcing capacity in the private nursing home sector for those patients who have completed their acute phase of treatment and expanded home care packages to support older people at home.

I am confident the measures I have announced will have a significant impact on the delivery of accident and emergency services.