Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 70: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if he has given any instructions to the Health Service Executive regarding the retention of any acute hospital service in any part of the country. [13421/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I am committed to ensuring that acute hospital services at national, regional and local level are provided in a clinically appropriate and efficient manner. In particular I want to ensure that as many services as possible can be provided safely in smaller, local hospitals. We need to ensure the most appropriate organisation of acute services in each region. I believe that the clinical programmes being developed by the HSE are vital in this regard. These inter-related programmes aim to improve service quality, effectiveness and patient access and to ensure that patient care is provided in the service setting most appropriate to individuals' needs.

In addition, in order to address the issues which are causing unacceptable delays in patients receiving treatment in our hospitals, I am prioritising the establishment of a Special Delivery Unit as promised in the Programme for Government 2011-2016. Extensive work is currently being undertaken by my Department in designing this Unit, based on a similar initiative in Northern Ireland which substantially reduced waiting lists over two to three years.

I made it clear that I expect to be briefed by the HSE where there are any proposals to withdraw services from individual hospitals. The Secretary General of my Department has written to the CEO of the HSE asking him to make the necessary arrangements and briefings are in train from senior management in the HSE. I have also made it clear that patient safety must be the overriding priority. I want patients to be treated at the lowest level of complexity that is safe, timely, efficient and as near to home as possible. These are the factors which will inform our future decisions on the provision of acute hospital services.