Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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457. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding cancelled surgery for persons resulting form repairs being carried out at Merlin Park hospital, Galway; the location to which staff are being deployed; the location to which the ten orthopaedic consultants are being deployed; and the timeframe, locations and waiting lists for priority surgery [42446/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Saolta University Healthcare Group has advised that a leak developed in the roof of a building in the Merlin Park hospital campus that houses the Hospital's two orthopaedic theatres on 4 September. Hospital management temporarily suspended operations for a week to facilitate the Galway University Hospital Buildings and Maintenance Unit to effect repairs.

Following discovery of a second leak on 13 September, a multi-disciplinary team in the Saolta Group, consisting of Hospital Management and Infection Control staff and HSE Estates took the decision to suspend elective orthopaedic surgical services in Merlin Park Hospital. There has been no elective surgical procedures carried out at Merlin Park since that date. Saolta and the University Hospital Galway management team have engaged an external engineering firm to carry out a full assessment of the damage and provide a time-frame for the completion of repairs. Hospital Management advise that they are contacting patients whose procedures have been deferred to explain the situation and assure those patients of the Hospital's commitment to ensuring they are rescheduled in as timely a manner as possible.

On Wednesday 4 October, I met with the Saolta Hospital Group Management, representatives of the consultant orthopaedic surgeons at the Hospital, HSE Acute Hospitals and Estate Divisions as well as local TDs to discuss the next steps in addressing the issue.

The Saolta Group has advised that it is working with the orthopaedic surgeons and staff of the Hospital and more widely across Galway University Hospitals to implement solutions pending completion of the repairs.

Interim solutions being progressed include: utilising additional bed capacity at University Hospital Galway to enable some further elective procedures to be carried out; engaging with local private hospitals regarding the potential to access theatre capacity to carry out orthopaedic surgery; and engaging the hospitals within the Saolta Group, in other Hospital Groups and the NTPF regarding capacity at other hospitals.

Furthermore, the Saolta Group and HSE Estates are working to progress a mobile theatre unit at Merlin Park Hospital as quickly as possible.

The Saolta Group and HSE have committed to provide a contingency plan that deals service demand.

I acknowledge the upset that this suspension of service has caused the patients affected and their family. The Saolta Group and the HSE have assured me that they are committed to resolving the issue as quickly as possible. I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly regarding service matters such as staff redeployment.