Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 127: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to reports that the intensive care unit and associated anaesthetic cover is to be removed from the Mid Western Region Hospital, Ennis, County Clare as and from July 2010; her views regarding same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15858/10]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 128: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the status of the planned upgrade of the Mid Western Regional Hospital, Ennis, County Clare; when she expects this project to commence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15859/10]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 129: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views in relation to the future of the Mid Western Regional Hospital, Ennis, County Clare; if this hospital will continue as an acute medical hospital into the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15860/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 127 to 129, inclusive, together.

The HSE has made significant progress on reconfiguring acute hospital and related services in the Mid West region informed by the Teamwork/Horwath Report and the Health Information and Quality Authority Report on Ennis, which was published in April 2009. These Reports highlighted the need for changes to be made in the organisation and provision of acute hospital services across the Mid West region as they found services there to be too fragmented, to carry increased risks for patients and staff and to be unsustainable in their present form.

The reconfiguration of services in the Mid-West Region began in early April, 2009. This involved the cessation of 24-hour Accident and Emergency services at Ennis and Nenagh. These hospitals now provide an urgent care/minor injuries service for 12 hours a day as part of a regional Accident and Emergency structure.

The level of staffing of the ambulance services in Clare and North Tipperary has been enhanced and an advanced 24-hour paramedic service is also now in operation. Protocols are in place to ensure that all trauma, paediatric and obstetric emergency cases are brought directly to the major tertiary centre at Limerick Regional Hospital.

All planned and emergency in-patient surgery has been moved from Ennis and Nenagh to Limerick Regional Hospital since early October, 2009. Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals are however undertaking an expanded range of day case surgery and diagnostic work.

As part of its regional reconfiguration plan the HSE is centralising all critical care services at Limerick Regional Hospital in the interests of promoting patient safety and improving the quality of patient care. These services are currently provided across four hospitals. In this context a new critical care block is planned for Limerick Regional Hospital. The HSE's draft capital plan is currently under consideration and details of capital projects will be made available when the plan has been approved.

I am satisfied that the measures being taken by the HSE are necessary and appropriate in order to ensure the provision of safe and effective health services to the people of the Mid West region.