Written answers

Thursday, 8 May 2008

Department of Health and Children

Hospital Services

5:00 pm

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 182: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will make a statement on the recently published OECD report in relation to the Health Reform Plan for hospitals in the north east which recommended that the Government reviews the idea of a centralised single acute hospital for the north east and consider the possibility of having two hospitals in the region. [17726/08]

Photo of Mary HarneyMary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The OECD review of the Irish Public Service report entitled Ireland Towards an Integrated Public Service, was launched by the Taoiseach on Monday 28 April and includes a Case Study on the reconfiguration of the Hospital Services in the North East. I think it is important to note that the OECD state that the health sector Case Study does not purport to be a full analysis or review of wider issues relating to health care in Ireland or a commentary on health service provision generally in Ireland.

The OECD note that the health of the Irish is good and improving at an exceptionally rapid pace. Ireland is the European country which had the most spectacular increase in its life expectancy at birth since 1990: almost five years in 15 years, an average of four months a year. The OECD recommend that there should be a focus on longer-term outcomes such as life expectancy to measure the performance of the health system.

The Report emphasises the need to deal with the reforms of primary and community care in tandem with the reconfiguration of hospitals if the overall vision is to be realised. In order to ensure the model is the optimum given the specific characteristics of the region, it suggests taking a broader look at international systems, including systems that are similar in terms of their needs, in order to examine different patterns of hospital requirements in the North East.

The OECD took the view that this may include the possibility of having two hospitals, one regional, and one general. It may equally be that the outcome of such an examination would be a reaffirmation of the plan for one acute hospital for the region. At this point no decisions have been made by the Government or by the Health Service Executive (HSE) on the future location of the new hospital. The immediate task for the HSE is to ensure that services in the region are organised to optimise patient safety. The first step in the development of a fully integrated regional health service is to ensure that the people of the North East have local access to both routine planned care and immediate life saving emergency care. Over the next few years, in preparation for all acute emergency in-patient care and complex planned care being provided at a regional centre, the existing five hospitals will continue to improve services by further merger of their acute care specialties.

Finally, I would like to draw attention to the fact that the OECD confirm that policy objectives of the proposal to reconfigure hospital services in the North East are based on sound principles: "Clinically, the reform programme makes sense and will lead to safer, better quality treatment options for citizens". There is also an acceptance that there is a clear vision within the HSE regarding how health care services in the North East will be delivered following final implementation of all reforms.

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