Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 58: To ask the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to address overcrowding at Galway and Roscommon hospitals group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8288/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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In July of last year I announced the establishment of the Special Delivery Unit. The development of the Unit is a key part of my plans to radically reform the health system in Ireland. In 2011 I identified two key priorities for the SDU, namely addressing trolley waiting times and reducing the maximum waiting time for elective surgery. I am happy to say that the SDU has delivered notable improvements on both objectives. The next phase of work in the area of Unscheduled Care will include a new focus on monitoring the total patient journey time, including any time spent on trolleys, as part of the new national score card for measuring performance. New target times to be introduced in this year will ensure that 95% of all attendees at Emergency Departments are discharged or admitted within 6 hours of registration, and that those who need to be admitted through ED wait no more than 9 hours from registration. Galway and Roscommon hospitals will be expected to comply with these targets.

Scheduled Care Targets to be introduced in 2012 will reduce maximum waiting time for elective surgery to 9 months or less. The target will be 20 weeks or less for elective paediatric procedures and 13 weeks for Endoscopy procedures.

There is also a specific SDU liaison process in place for all hospitals with varying degrees of intensity commensurate with the issues on the ground in each location.

The organisation of hospital services nationally, regionally and locally will be informed by the HSE's Clinical Programmes, which have been developed and implemented by the HSE, and by the work on the framework for the development of smaller hospitals. 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 order to assist Galway and Roscommon Hospitals, I announced on 8th December, 2011 the appointment of Mr Bill Maher, as group CEO to the Galway group of hospitals. As well as strengthening the managerial capacity of the Galway and Roscommon hospitals, it is hoped that the appointment of Mr Maher will help these hospitals to meet the significant challenges they face in terms of service delivery and financial performance. The new reporting structures will support transparent accountability on the part of hospitals and their management for the services they deliver to patients. They will also ensure that the smaller hospitals are managed as part of a group and that their role is protected.

The introduction of hospital groups will provide further opportunities for inter site cooperation. Smaller hospitals can assist larger hospitals in the group by taking on more elective work. For example, outreach plastic surgical services have been recently established at Roscommon. This is the first of a number of service enhancements at this hospital. The development of services at Roscommon will help relieve waiting lists currently in Galway and in the wider West area.

Notwithstanding the significant progress which has been made to date, it is recognised that it will be a significant challenge to maintain these achievements particularly in the initial few months of 2012, typically the busiest time for acute hospitals. However, although achieving the targets for this year will be challenging, given the difficult budgetary position the health services are facing, I am encouraged by the recent successes of the SDU.