Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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288. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to downgrade the accident and emergency services at Portiuncula hospital, Ballinasloe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33204/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am not aware of any plans to downgrade any Emergency Department facilities in Portiuncula University Hospital (PUH).

With regard to services at PUH, consultants in General Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Respiratory, Cardiology, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Radiology and Paediatrics have been successfully recruited since the beginning of 2016. A Consultant Geriatrician position will be advertised later in 2017. Whole time equivalent staff (WTE) numbered 704 in March, 2017.

The Portiuncula ED has been performing well this year. Patient experience times for PUH are significantly better than the national average; 71.3% of patients have been admitted or discharged within 6 hours, 90.1% within 9 hours, and 99.9% within 24 hours this year to date, whereas the national averages for the same time period have been 66%, 80.7% and 96.5% respectively.

Plans for the expansion of other facilities at PUH are on-going; it is proposed to provide a 50 bed ward block to replace existing ward accommodation at PUH, by providing upgrades to ward accomodation, including additional isolation rooms. Funding was made available in the current HSE Capital Plan to bring the project to the design and planning stage. The HSE has advised that planning permission has been awarded and the design stage is now complete.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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289. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to downgrade the accident and emergency services at Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33205/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar is part of the Ireland East Hospital Group. Each Hospital Group is developing a strategic plan to describe how it will provide more efficient and effective patient services and reorganise its services to provide optimal care to the populations it serves. Every hospital in the Ireland East Group has a vital role to play within the Group. There are no plans to downgrade the accident and emergency services at the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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290. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to downgrade the accident and emergency services at University Hospital Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33206/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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There are no plans to downgrade the Emergency Department at University Hospital Galway (UHG). To the contrary, plans for a new and significantly expanded ED at UHG are at design phase.

Given recognised capacity challenges with regard to the existing ED at University Hospital Galway, the Programme for a Partnership Government provides as follows: “A new ED for UHG is currently being designed with a view to funding for construction being provided as part of the 2017 Capital Plan Review”.

Significant progress has been made in terms of planning for the new ED. Funding had been indented in the 2017 Capital Plan to progress to the design phase of the development of a new ED for UHG.

The HSE advises that the Contract Notice for the first stage design team procurement for the UHG ED project was submitted to the eTenders website for publishing on 2nd May, 2017. It is expected that tender documents will be completed and issued by the end of July, 2017.

The Saolta Group has committed to working to expedite this project as effectively as possible, as a new ED will provide valuable opportunities to significantly improve safety, dignity and privacy for patients attending UHG Emergency Department. In the intervening period, prior to completion of the new ED, significant effort is being dedicated to initiatives to improve patient flow in at Galway University Hospital in order to effectively manage the provision of emergency care on a 24/7 basis.

UHG is a pilot site for the National GE Finnamore Patient Flow project. This project is underway on site and encompasses both unscheduled care and scheduled care patient flow. Under this initiative, the Hospital is progressing a number of key process improvement initiatives, which include optimising ED escalation procedures, patient flow processes and bi-directional flow to/from other Saolta Hospitals as well as capacity modelling for inpatients and outpatients. The Saolta Group advises that participation in this project has resulted in significant improvements.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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291. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to downgrade the accident and emergency services at Mayo University Hospital, Castlebar; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33207/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am not aware of any plans to downgrade any Emergency Department facilities in Mayo University Hospital (MUH).

The Mayo ED has been performing well this year. Patient experience times for MUH are significantly better than the national average; 73.5% of patients have been admitted or discharged within 6 hours, 91.7% within 9 hours, and 99.9% within 24 hours this year to date, whereas the national averages for the same time period have been 66%, 80.7% and 96.5% respectively.

The Department of Health and the HSE are currently engaged in a process to commence winter planning for next year and to work towards an improvement trajectory in ED performance, including at the Mayo ED.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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292. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to downgrade the accident and emergency services at Sligo University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33208/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am not aware of any plans to downgrade any Emergency Department facilities in Sligo University Hospital (SUH).

The Sligo ED has been performing well this year. Patient experience times for SUH are similar to the national average for 6 hour PET and better than the national average for 9 and 24 hour PET.

65.4% of patients have been admitted or discharged within 6 hours, 84.8% within 9 hours, and 99.6% within 24 hours this year to date, whereas the national averages for the same time period have been 66%, 80.7% and 96.5% respectively.

Plans for the expansion of some facilities at SUH are on-going; a Phase 1 redevelopment to include a Ward Block, Theatre Department and new ED is funded to design phase, as is a Central Sterile Services Department upgrade. A new interventional Radiology suite is in design phase and funded to completion (currently scheduled for 2020).