John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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774. To ask the Minister for Health if his Department or the HSE has received an application to provide a modular catheterisation laboratory at WRH; his plans to provide funding for such a facility while a decision is being made on a permanent solution; the timeframe for a decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15584/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Following an independent review of the need for a second cath lab in University Hospital Waterford (UHW), the Herity report concluded that the needs of the effective catchment population for Waterford University Hospital could be accommodated within a single cath lab. Funding has been provided to support extension of the existing cath lab operating hours to 12 weekly sessions per week, or by 20%, as recommended in the Herity Report. Recruitment efforts to support this service extension are ongoing.

A mobile cath lab was deployed in October 2017 for an initial period of 20 weeks and this was extended in February for another 10 weeks to allow further time for the recruitment effort. A modular cath lab has also been proposed, as an interim solution pending the outcome of the National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services, and my Department is currently examining this proposal.

The aim of the National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services is to achieve optimal patient outcomes at population level with particular emphasis on the safety, quality and sustainability of the services that patients receive by establishing the need for an optimal configuration of a national adult cardiac service. In terms of scope, the National Review will cover scheduled and unscheduled hospital-based services for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease in adults.  The Steering Group for the review held its first meeting on 31 January last.