Written answers

Tuesday, 25 November 2008

Department of Health and Children

Hospital Services

10:00 pm

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 281: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the view of many professionals that all hospitals regardless of location, status or size are required to be centres of excellence and that the setting up of centres of excellence within the health service, instead of improving the quality of service, is likely to result in selective investment with little benefit to the overall quality of service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42791/08]

Photo of Mary HarneyMary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The international evidence base indicates that clinical skill levels and patient safety can be safeguarded by centralising acute and complex care and thereby ensuring a sufficient throughput of cases. It is vital to ensure that services are provided safely and to a high quality. While the more complex services are increasingly being concentrated in a smaller number of larger centres, this is being balanced by transferring less complex work to local hospitals. Both larger and smaller hospitals must be developed on this basis.

Much of the recent discussion around "centres of excellence" has focused on our cancer services. The objective of the National Cancer Control Programme is to provide the highest quality diagnosis and treatment in eight designated centres, each serving a population of 500,000 people. In the Programme the term 'designated centre' as opposed to "centre of excellence" is used.

The Director of the National Cancer Control Programme is making significant progress in relation to the realignment of services into the designated centres. In relation to breast cancer specifically, he plans to have transferred the remaining symptomatic services to the eight designated centres next year. Preparation and planning are also underway in relation to other site specific cancers such as prostate and lung cancers. The designation of cancer centres aims to ensure that patients receive the highest quality care while at the same time allowing local access to services, where appropriate. Where diagnosis and treatment planning is directed and managed by multi-disciplinary teams based at the cancer centres, then much of the treatment (other than surgery) can be delivered in local hospitals.

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