Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 19: To ask the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to provide additional services at Roscommon County Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1045/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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As part of new management arrangements for hospitals in the west of Ireland, designed to deliver improved performance, organisational coherence and effectiveness, I recently announced the appointment of Mr Bill Maher as CEO to the Galway/Roscommon Hospitals Group. Mr Maher commenced duties on the 9th of January. The new management structure will provide accountability, greater efficiency and safer delivery of acute hospital services within a more unified hospital group. The new CEO will have full regard to the entire capacity of the hospital group, with a particular emphasis on developing the role of the smaller hospitals.

I have consistently said that the reorganisation of our acute hospital services must be a two way process. Just as more complex treatment, rightly, should be made available in larger facilities where there is a sufficient volume to ensure safe and effective delivery, routine and less complex treatment should generally be provided as close to a patient's own community as possible. With the development of linked hospital groups, in that area, under the new management structure, the transfer of such treatment to smaller hospitals should become more straightforward to implement.

There are a number of initiatives under way or being considered in relation to the range of services available at Roscommon County Hospital, including the following.

In relation to endoscopy services, there are two capital projects. The first, for an endoscopy suite with funding of €1.95 million, is at design stage. The second, for an interim endoscopy decontamination unit, is almost completed and is expected to be operational in this quarter.

Roscommon Hospital has been considered as a suitable site for an HSE West Medical Rehabilitation Service under the remit of the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dublin. Accordingly, Roscommon, in association with the National Rehabilitation Hospital, has applied for a consultant in rehabilitation medicine.

Roscommon is also treating elective day case surgical patients who are on waiting lists at Galway University Hospital, with the numbers being treated expected to increase over 2012. As part of this initiative, the day case elective plastic surgery service is now established. Discussions are ongoing for the further development of the service.

The recruitment process for a consultant physician with special interest in respiratory medicine has been completed and a start date for the permanent appointment is awaited.

Our smaller hospitals should be a vibrant part of their communities and local regions, with major contributions to make in the delivery of acute services in their regional networks. I welcome the sort of initiatives that will support this position for Roscommon and other smaller hospitals.

In this context, I am preparing a Framework for the Development of Smaller Hospitals, including Roscommon, which will set out the type of services that can and should be provided in smaller hospital facilities. This approach will free up the larger hospitals to concentrate on more complex work, while enhancing the services provided by smaller hospitals to their local communities.