Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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178. To ask the Minister for Health the reason that there was no commitment to building a new regional hospital in Navan in County Meath to serve the north east in the recently published capital plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35157/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, Our Lady’s Hospital Navan is now a constituent hospital within the Ireland East Hospital Group. The initial focus is on getting the Hospital Group up and running as a single cohesive entity. A structured integration of acute services in Navan into the Ireland East Group is under way in 2015 which will provide further support for the hospital in delivering high-quality safe patient care. The Hospital Group is required to develop a plan to describe how they will reorganise services across the Group to provide the best care to the population they serve.

In order to ensure that the hospital continues to play a significant role in its Group in providing sustainable, safe and effective care at the appropriate level of complexity, a number of developments have already been funded in recent years. These include the refurbishment of the Emergency Department, an upgrade of general theatres, an upgrade of the CSSD (Sterile Services Unit), the addition of new end of life care family rooms and garden within the Hospital and an allocation of capital funding of €750,000 for the replacement of various equipment.

Furthermore, a Phase 2 Build at Our Lady’s Hospital Navan will provide enhanced capacity including a Clinical Decision Unit, Rapid Assessment Triage, and larger Minor Injuries Unit. This Phase 2 Build will also incorporate 3 floors of 22 single, en-suite rooms and a new theatre suite. It is anticipated that this additional capacity will be available in 2016. In this context, the building of a new hospital in Navan is not provided for in the Capital Plan.