Written answers

Tuesday, 21 March 2017

Photo of Mary ButlerMary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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821. To ask the Minister for Health when the national review of cardiac services will be undertaken; when the terms of reference will be published; the person or body that will be carrying out the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13293/17]

Photo of Mary ButlerMary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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822. To ask the Minister for Health when the national review of cardiac services is undertaken if it will be an independent review or an internal HSE review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13294/17]

Photo of Mary ButlerMary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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823. To ask the Minister for Health if cardiologists in the south east will be consulted prior to the completion of the national review in relation to the national review of cardiac services and specifically in relation to UHW; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13295/17]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 821 to 823, inclusive, together.

It is proposed that a national review of cardiology services will be undertaken this year. This review will seek to ensure that as many patients as possible have access, on a 24/7 basis, to safe and sustainable emergency interventions following a heart attack. I expect the review to be completed before the end of the year.

As the review is still in a formative stage, neither the Terms of Reference nor the methodology have yet been determined. However I expect that the views of relevant stakeholders will be sought and considered in the context of the review.

Photo of Mary ButlerMary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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824. To ask the Minister for Health when the HSE plans to implement the Herity report in full; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13296/17]

Photo of Mary ButlerMary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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825. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the fact that persons living in the south east cannot avail of cardiology services at the weekend and after 5 p.m. in the evening until 9 a.m. in the morning; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13297/17]

Photo of Mary ButlerMary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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826. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the fact that it is impossible to get from UHW to CUH in 90 minutes by car or ambulance within the 90 minute timeframe for successful intervention for cardiac arrests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13298/17]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 824 to 826, inclusive, together.

The Deputy will be aware that in his review of cath lab services in UHW, Dr Niall Herity recommended that the UHW cath lab should operate as an elective lab which provides all specialised cardiac services except interventional treatment for patients who are having heart attacks (PPCI). Dr. Herity also recommended that the current 9 to 5 provision of these services should cease in order to allow the hospital to focus on the much larger volume of planned cath lab work. Investment was recommended to enable the hospital to provide additional cath lab capacity.

I accept Dr Herity's findings and recommendations and have provided additional funding of €0.5m for the UHW in 2017 which will enable the hospital to provide 8 hours additional cath labs activity each week. However, in relation to the cessation of PPCI services at the hospital, as Minister for Health, I want to be sure that any service changes which we implement, will result in improved services for patients using that service. Therefore, I have asked my Department to address the implications of this recommendation by undertaking a national review of all PPCI services with the aim to ensure that as many patients as possible have access, on a 24/7 basis, to safe and sustainable emergency interventions following a heart attack. In the meantime, patients in the South East will continue to have access to out of hours PPCI services at Cork University Hospital (CUH) or St James's Hospital, Dublin.

In his report, Dr Herity examined data provided by the National Ambulance Service and determined that the average emergency ambulance journey time from UHW to CUH was one hour and twenty eight minutes. Dr Herity examined actual, real time information, from 36 separate ambulance transfers undertaken between October 2015 and June 2016 and concluded that the 'blue light' journey time from UHW to CUH is less than 90 minutes.

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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827. To ask the Minister for Health when the planned national review of primary PCI will take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13301/17]

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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828. To ask the Minister for Health if the national review into PPCI services will be an independent clinical review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13302/17]

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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829. To ask the Minister for Health if he has identified the person or persons that will conduct the national review of PPCI; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13303/17]

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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834. To ask the Minister for Health if a terms of reference will be drawn up for the national review of PPCI here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13308/17]

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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835. To ask the Minister for Health the national guidelines that will underpin a national review of PPCI; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13309/17]

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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836. To ask the Minister for Health the consultations that will take place in respect of a national review of PPCI; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13310/17]

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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838. To ask the Minister for Health if a national review into PPCI is being undertaken by his department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13312/17]

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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839. To ask the Minister for Health if an effective catchment population or the actual population of the southeast will underpin the national review of PPCI services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13313/17]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 827 to 829, inclusive, 834 to 836, inclusive, 838 and 839 together.

It is proposed that a national review of cardiology services will be undertaken this year. This review will seek to ensure that as many patients as possible have access, on a 24/7 basis, to safe and sustainable emergency interventions following a heart attack. I expect the review to be completed before the end of the year.

As the review is still in a formative stage neither the Terms of Reference nor the methodology have yet been determined. However I expect that the views of relevant stakeholders will be sought and considered in the context of the review.

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