Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 587: To ask the Minister for Health the numbers and details of hospitals that have been subject to the removal of acute services such as accident and emergency in 2010 and 2011; the increased resource provision that has been or is proposed to be provided to the surrounding hospitals that continue to provide such services in view of the fact that they will be responsible to cater to the needs of persons who would otherwise have utilised these services in the former; the impact his projects of the scaling back of services provided by the former institutions will have on the latter institutions; if and when there will be a review of the impact such a scaling back of services has on all hospitals either subject to or not subject to these measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18523/11]

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. 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, and efficient and as near to home as possible.

The configuration of services is constantly reviewed and from time to time re-arranged to improve access and quality of service and minimise risk to patients. This programme of realignment of services has received recent impetus from HIQA in relation to the need to implement the recommendations from the Ennis and Mallow reports. The reports deal in particular with the type of services that can safely be provided in smaller hospitals and the structures required for good governance and accountability. The HSE must ensure that this happens and I will be monitoring the situation closely in conjunction with HIQA

The HSE has now put an implementation team in place to ensure that the recommendations of both the Ennis and Mallow reports are implemented in a speedy, systematic and consistent manner and I have asked for regular progress reports on this important initiative.

This Government is strongly committed to developing the role of smaller hospitals in Ireland so that they play a key part in the services provided to local communities. Patients should only have to travel to the larger hospitals for more complex services. The HIQA reports are entirely in keeping with this approach. I can assure the public that no hospitals will close, regardless of the difficult economic situation we find ourselves in. However, ongoing reform of the system will require some changes in how care is delivered in some locations across our health system.