Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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139. To ask the Minister for Health the degree to which adequate facilities remain available to meet the ongoing health care, and requirements, of the population, such as primary care facilities, and medical and surgical bed accommodation in the public sector, throughout the country; if he has identified areas needing improvement in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8453/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Despite constraints on our capital and revenue budgets in recent years, a very ambitious infrastructure programme is under way to support the provision of an enhanced and a more integrated range of health care services.

Details of the infrastructure to be completed in 2015 and which will become operational this year or in early 2016 are set out in Appendix 4 of the HSE’s National Service Plan 2015. Overall there are of the order of 80 projects detailed, of which approximately 40 relate to acute care services and the remainder to community care services including primary care.

Planned infrastructure developments to support acute facilities include the National Ambulance Control and Call Centre at Tallaght; the upgrade and replacement of equipment for BreastCheck; the new endoscopy unit at Roscommon General Hospital; the fit-out of the underground car-park at Limerick UH; expansion of the radiology department at Clonmel’s South Tipperary General Hospital; completion of the new ED, medical assessment unit and endoscopy unit at St Luke’s Kilkenny; additional cubicle space and resus accommodation at Tallaght ED and upgrade of its endoscopy unit. At Connolly Hospital, the radiology department upgrade is being completed and its urology department expanded. In addition, planning for the new Children’s Hospital and the relocation of the NMH to St Vincent’s University Hospital is progressing.

The HSE is also undertaking a substantial infrastructure project at Naas General Hospital. The project will be a two storey build. An oncology unit and a physical medicine department (which includes physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy) will be accommodated on the ground floor adjacent to the main concourse and out-patients. An endoscopy unit will be located on the first floor adjacent to the theatre department, which is the ideal location from a patient safety, logistics and staffing viewpoint.

The opening of the Ballinamore primary care centre earlier this month brings to 43 the number of primary care centres opened since March 2011. This represents considerable progress. Overall there are now 86 primary care centres operating across the country. There are also currently over 30 locations where primary care infrastructure is at an advanced planning stage and approximately 50 further locations where the HSE proposes to use the operational lease mechanism to deliver primary care infrastructure. In November 2014, the HSE advertised a further 73 locations for delivery by the operational lease mechanism; the closing date for expressions of interest was mid-January 2015.

In the light of recent Emergency Department pressures the HSE has postponed most elective care, apart from cancer and urgent cases, whilst opening all bed stock to the maximum extent possible to allow those who need immediate treatment to be accommodated. Hospital bed requirements generally will be further considered by hospital groups in their strategic plans, which are due to be developed this year as part of the implementation of the groups. Changing clinical practice requirements and the closer integration of community and hospitals services which, it is anticipated, will see more care and treatment delivered in community settings in the future, will be taken into account in these plans.