Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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71. To ask the Minister for Health the plans in place for the future of the emergency department at the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise in County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43004/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group is committed to securing and further developing the role of Portlaoise Hospital as a constituent hospital within the group. Substantial investment and enhancement measures have been put in place to ensure a safe level of services at the hospital. Some of its services are receiving significant investment. These include maternity, paediatric emergency triage, medicine, day surgery, in addition to a new acute medical admissions unit and day ward space which is under construction.

Other improvements at the Midland Regional Hospital at Portlaoise include a number of additional consultants posts (anaesthetics, surgery, emergency medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics, physicians) and 16 midwifery posts.

The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group is currently engaged in an internal validation process of a draft plan for the hospital which will inform any changes that will happen at Portlaoise Hospital. Following approval in principle of the draft plan by the HSE Acute Services and the Department of Health, a comprehensive communication, stakeholder engagement and implementation planning process will commence.

I wish to assure the Deputy that any change to services at the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise, including ED services, will be undertaken in a planned and orderly manner with a view to maximising patient safety, sustainable service and improving patient outcomes. This will take account of existing patient numbers, demands in other hospitals and the need to develop services at Portlaoise in the context of overall service reorganisation within the Hospital Group.