Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 379: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the details of all representations made by persons (details supplied) since May 2007 regarding services at Louth County Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27441/08]

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 388: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the representations she has received from Cabinet colleagues on the future of Louth County Hospital; the commitments sought on the future of this hospital in the programme for Government negotiations in 2007; the commitments given; the plans in the current programme for Government for Louth County Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27451/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 379 and 388 together.

I have received representations regarding the provision of services in the Louth County Hospital, in the context of the North East Transformation Programme, including from my Ministerial colleagues, Minister Dermot Ahern and Minister John Gormley.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 380: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the fact that all SHO surgical cover has been removed from Louth County Hospital outside the hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, and that this cutback was implemented on 1 July 2008; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27443/08]

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 381: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the fact that registrars are the only on-call cover after 5 p.m. in Louth County Hospital; that at weekends these registrars will have to cover 16 hour shifts; that seven registrars have written to the medical administration of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital calling this arrangement a gross neglect of patients and a violation of health and safety standards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27444/08]

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 382: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the consultation made prior to removing the SHO surgical on-call cover from Louth County Hospital on 1 July, 2008; if the attention of a person (details supplied) was drawn to the changes; when attention was drawn to them; if the nursing staff were made aware of the changes; the way they were notified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27445/08]

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 383: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if Louth County Hospital is on call for theatre procedures from Monday to Sunday; the status of the theatre on-call service; and the plans for the future of this service. [27446/08]

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 384: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if there are plans to change the number of nursing hours in the theatre service of Louth County Hospital; and the way the Health Service Executive plans to re-deploy these nursing hours. [27447/08]

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 385: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if the Health Service Executive plans to transfer nurses from Louth County hospital to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital; the nature of these nursing posts; the services in Louth County Hospital that will be discontinued as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27448/08]

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 386: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the joint surgical department in Louth hospital is being altered and that commitments given to maintain a double on-call service are being abandoned and that this jeopardises the partnership process in Louth County Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27449/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 380 to 386, inclusive, together.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is in the process of reconfiguring the way services are provided in the region, including services at Louth County Hospital, in the context of the HSE North East Transformation Programme. The Transformation Programme for the North East region involves widespread and fundamental change and is designed to build a health system that is in line with the model of care emerging internationally. The international evidence indicates that this can be achieved by centralising acute and complex care so that clinical skill levels can be safeguarded through ensuring sufficient throughput of cases. This was highlighted in the Teamwork Report — "Improving Safety and Achieving Better Standards — An Action Plan for Health Services in the North East".

In progressing the Transformation Programme the HSE has repeatedly emphasised its commitment that existing services in the region will remain in place until they are replaced with higher quality, safer or more appropriate services. The overriding aim of the Programme, which I fully support, is the need to improve safety and achieve better standards of care for patients in the region.

The immediate focus of the Transformation Programme, which has now moved into the detailed design and implementation phase, is to have acute and complex care moved from five to two hospital sites and to ensure that services in the region are organised to optimise patient safety.

The HSE has advised that the initial set of service changes for Louth-Meath in the context of the Transformation Programme centres on the reconfiguration of surgery with the establishment of a single Department of Surgery for Louth-Meath and the centralisation of complex major surgical care to one hospital.

In relation to out of hours emergency surgery activity levels in Louth County Hospital, the HSE has advised that there were 14 out of hours surgical procedures in 2007, effectively a rate of little more than one a month. In the context of its ongoing assessment of services and reflecting this level of activity, changes in the provision of surgical cover in Louth County Hospital were announced by the HSE from 1 July. These changes will ensure that any on call requirements at the Hospital will be provided in the first instance by the Surgical Registrar, the most senior doctor apart from a Consultant. It is my understanding that certain issues have arisen following these changes and that these have now been referred by the HSE to the Labour Relations Commission.

Operational responsibility for the implementation of specific service changes is a matter for the HSE. Therefore, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the HSE to arrange to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy in relation to the specific issues raised.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 387: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason a patient (details supplied) in County Louth was admitted to Our Lady of Lourdes hospital and left to sleep on a trolley in an office on the night of 26 June 2008 when there were spare beds in Louth County hospital; the further reason there is no arrangement to fully utilise the beds capacity in the Louth hospitals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27450/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004 and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular case raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 389: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon will be called for surgery; the reason for the delay in same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27452/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall Vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular case raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Question No. 390 answered with Question No. 371.