Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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793. To ask the Minister for Health to outline his plans to upgrade Monaghan Hospital and reintroduce its accident and emergency department; his views on the concerns of the public due to the lack of this service and delays in ambulance response times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46741/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The establishment of Hospital Groups has enabled a better configuration of hospital services with benefits relating to safety, quality, access, cost and sustainable medical staffing. The structure ensures that Hospitals working together in a Group will be able to support each other, providing a stronger role for smaller hospitals in delivering less complex care, and ensuring that those who require emergency or complex planned care are managed safely in larger hospitals. The Smaller Hospitals Framework focuses in particular on the future role of smaller hospitals and outlines the wide range of services that can be provided within these smaller hospitals.

As a Model 2 hospital, Monaghan does not have a 24/7 Emergency Department, however, in line with the Smaller Hospitals Framework, Monaghan Hospital has a Minor Injuries Unit located on site which provide an important service to the local community.

I am committed to securing and further developing the role of our smaller hospitals with the expansion of services delivered in these hospitals, especially in services such as day surgery; ambulatory care; medical services and diagnostics.

The Programme for Partnership Government commits to a review of Medical Assessment Units, Urgent Care Centres and Minor Injuries Units, including the Unit at Monaghan Hospital. Work on this review is progressing in 2017.

The National Ambulance Service (NAS) has been undertaking a significant and ongoing reform programme, to reconfigure the management and delivery of pre-hospital care services. This programme will ensure a clinically driven, nationally co-ordinated system, supported by improved technology. The Programme for a Partnership Government commits to additional annual investment in terms of ambulance personnel and vehicles. In that regard an additional €3.6m has been made available to the NAS in 2017, which includes €1m to fund new developments. Furthermore, I can confirm that additional funding will be made available for the continued development of the NAS in 2018, the detail of which will be outlined in the National Service Plan 2018.