Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 97: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if Cavan Hospital consultants are still precluded from doing major GI surgery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35545/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The HSE has advised me that restrictions were introduced on consultant surgeons in Cavan and Monaghan performing major Gastro-Intestinal surgery in 2003 following the suspension of two consultants. Consultants are no longer precluded from carrying out major GI surgery in Cavan. These restrictions reflected concerns regarding the then heavy reliance on locum consultants at both sites, and concerns about surgical outcomes in Cavan which led to a number of external reviews of patient treatments being commissioned.

In November 2005 a series of recommendations concerning surgical services in Cavan/Monaghan were announced by the National Hospitals Office (NHO) and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. These recommendations were developed following the 2004 RCSI report on surgical services at Cavan General Hospital.

The implementation of the RCSI's recommendations saw the promotion of team working among the consultants, the promotion of interdisciplinary audit, equity of access to resources for all consultants, and the co-ordination of activity between the two hospitals.

A joint surgical department was formed across Cavan and Monaghan hospitals from 1 January 2006. Following compliance with all RCSI and NHO recommendations, the new surgical department, which includes three new consultants appointed from January 2006, now carries out a range of surgical procedures.