James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 608: To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide a definitive assessment of the future of Mullingar Regional Hospital, County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27253/11]

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 609: To ask the Minister for Health if he will confirm or deny if the future of the 24-hour accident and emergency service at Mullingar Regional Hospital, County Westmeath is under threat; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27254/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 608 and 609 together. The future of the hospital at Mullingar is assured in the context of the HSE's Clinical Care programmes and there is no proposal to change the current arrangements of services. The priority for the HSE, the hospital and myself is to continue to provide appropriate, safe and high quality care for patients.

The Emergency Department of the Midland Regional Hospital in Mullingar is an extremely busy department with 32,000 attendances in 2010 and an average of 95 presentations each day since the beginning of this year. The hospital is part of the Ambulance By Pass Protocol for Navan Hospital. The hospital has taken steps to manage the increase in attendances within existing resources by utilising the "Use the Right Door" campaign which focuses on the various "doors" of access to health advice and services and to GPs and out of hours services, ensuring that patients obtain the most appropriate treatment in the most appropriate setting and in a timely manner.

Activity targets have been set within the context of controlling elective workloads and conversion of further inpatient work to day case work. The hospital also continues to focus on maintaining their patient "length of stay" which is one of the most efficient in the country. This is achieved by hospital and community staff working in a multi-disciplinary way.

Although emergency presentations and admissions are demand driven the hospital is concentrating on reducing emergency admissions by increasing access to specialist skills and senior clinical decision making available in its Medical Assessment Unit, ensuring patients are treated in the most appropriate location and avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions.

The hospital is addressing the issue of cost reduction through restructuring programmes to enable the maintenance of agreed service levels within its budget allocation for 2011. The Hospital has identified and is working on delivering efficiencies in both clinical and non clinical areas in order to maximise service levels.