Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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1001. To ask the Minister for Health the details of the paediatric and maternity services at Portlaoise Hospital; if they are to be downgraded, the locations these services will move to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14092/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department and the HSE are committed to securing and developing the role of Portlaoise Hospital within the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group. A report published in December 2016, which HIQA undertook at the request of the Department of Health, shows how much services have improved for the women using maternity services at the hospital. The extent of progress in patient safety measures in Portlaoise maternity services demonstrates the commitment of the staff and the leadership team at Portlaoise Hospital and the team at Hospital Group level.

Reports on Portlaoise Hospital in recent years point to the need for reconfiguration of some services to ensure that patients are treated in the most appropriate setting by specialist staff that can safely meet their needs. The HSE has submitted a draft Action Plan to my Department and it is currently being reviewed in detail.

The most important issue in relation to any changes at Portlaoise Hospital is that patient safety and good quality outcomes must come first. Any changes to services at Portlaoise, once approved, will be undertaken in a planned and orderly manner to further improve services for patients at the hospital and will take account of existing patient flows and demands in other hospitals, as well as the need to develop particular services at Portlaoise in the context of the overall service configuration in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group.