Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 65: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when she will publish the report on the reconfiguration of acute hospitals in the south; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6559/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The HSE has indicated to me that this report will be published in the coming weeks. The HSE commissioned the report from Horwath Consulting Ireland, in association with Teamwork Management Services, to examine the arrangements for the provision of acute hospital services in the South with a view to identifying the best configuration of such services in the region.

The Government is committed to ensuring the delivery of the best quality health services possible, in an effective and efficient way. Ensuring patient safety is of paramount importance, so that people can have confidence in the services and that the best possible patient outcomes can be achieved.

There is significant international and national evidence that acute complex healthcare, particularly for emergency medicine, complex surgical services and critical care should be provided in hospitals which are suitably staffed and equipped and which undertake sufficient volumes of such activity, in order to maximise clinical outcomes and ensure safe services. At the same time, there is a significant range of less complex care which can continue to be provided safely in smaller hospitals.

Reorganisation of services must of course occur in consultation with the key stakeholders and on an incremental basis. I believe that it is important to work with health professionals and other interested parties to secure an increasing set of improvements over time. This approach will, I am confident, produce the best outcome for patients.