Written answers

Thursday, 31 January 2008

Department of Health and Children

Hospital Services

5:00 pm

Photo of Seymour CrawfordSeymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 70: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the discussions she has had with her counterpart in Northern Ireland regarding the use of hospital services in the border regions on a joint basis; if they have agreed the hospitals that are being considered or if cross border involvement will decide the best site for a hospital in the north east region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2295/08]

Photo of Mary HarneyMary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I met with Mr. Michael McGimpsey, MLA, Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety in October and November last year to discuss a range of co-operation issues in the health sector, including hospital services. As both Health Departments have established a Project Board to take forward a Feasibility Study on the potential for future co-operation across a range of health service areas, it has been decided to await the outcome of that Study, before discussing any potential future action. It is expected that the Study will be completed in June/July this year.

The hospital reconfiguration process in the North East is being overseen by a HSE Steering Group. A sub-committee of the Steering Group was established to progress the issue of site selection for the new regional hospital. Following a tendering process, the HSE appointed a firm of consultants to carry out an independent site location study. The HSE anticipates that the consultants' report will be completed in February.

I discussed with my counterpart the issue of North South co-operation in the Acute Hospitals in the North East. At official level some publicly available information on the profile of hospital services in Northern Ireland was provided by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to the HSE in order to assist the study. However, in the light of current acute hospital capacity and planned developments in the North, the two Departments agreed that the HSE should not assume any increase in patient flows across the Border when deciding on the preferred site of the new hospital.

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