Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Health the number of cystic fibrosis beds available at St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin; if he will provide a detailed up to date report on the new cystic fibrosis unit at Cork University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57700/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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St Vincent's University Hospital (SVUH) is the designated National Adult Referral Centre for patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). The new Nutley Wing at the hospital, built at a cost of just under €29m and opened this summer, is designed to provide a state of the art clinical building which includes up to date isolation facilities with accommodation for people with cystic fibrosis. In the new unit 20 beds are set aside for patients with cystic fibrosis. Each bed is in a separate room with its own toilet and washing facilities. The 20 beds include 4 complete isolation rooms. The unit also provides a dedicated CF Day Unit, containing offices, treatment rooms, together with 10 single day treatment rooms, each with en-suite sanitary facilities for treating patients with cystic fibrosis.

Under a protocol for the treatment of CF patients at SVUH, signed off in July 2012 with the hospital, the HSE, Department of Health and CFA, up to 34 isolation beds will be made available in the new wing.and the 10-bed day unit will be used effectively to help ensure that patients are treated in the optimum setting. Except in certain circumstances, the additional 14 single inpatient rooms when required will be located in the Nutley Wing and these rooms will be grouped together as far as possible. 1-2 inpatient rooms in the Nutley Wing will be kept available at all times for emergency admissions. In circumstances where the emergency admission rooms have already been utilised and all the other inpatient rooms in the Nutley Wing are occupied, patients with CF will be accommodated elsewhere in clinically appropriate single rooms until such time as a room becomes available in the Nutley Wing and then the patient will be transferred there as a priority.

CUH is one of six specialist centres providing services for patients with cystic fibrosis. The adult cystic fibrosis day centre at Cork University Hospital (CUH) is an ambulatory care facility for adults with cystic fibrosis in the Munster region. I am advised that this centre caters for the majority of clinical needs of CF patients and includes 5 isolation rooms, a dedicated CF gym, a multidisciplinary team room and consultant rooms. The capital costs for this build were supported by a partnership of the HSE South and Build4Life.

With regard to in-patient services, I am advised that a location has been identified for a combined adult CF in-patient designated bed facility and respiratory unit on the CUH campus. The hospital has established a working group to progress this facility and is working in partnership with the Build4Life organisation to co-fund this development. To date Build4Life have raised over €2m to support the development of adult inpatient cystic fibrosis facilities at CUH. The HSE South and CUH management are finalising plans for the inpatient facility within the available capital resources, and within the physical space currently available on the hospital campus to facilitate the unit. A Design Team has been appointed and preliminary drawings for the unit have been prepared. The need to develop the adult in-patient facility at CUH remains a priority proposal of the Executive Management Board at CUH and the HSE South, and the HSE will continue to work with Build4Life to complete this project