Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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58. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding his commitment to examine a number of proposals to improve cardiac care in the south east, including the deployment of a modular laboratory that will allow for diagnostic angiograms and intervention procedures; the status of efforts by UHW management to recruit additional staff to extend the operation of the existing cath lab by 20%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23527/18]

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, 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.

As the Deputy is aware, a mobile cath lab has been deployed since October 2017, initially for a period of 20 weeks but since extended twice (most recently on 23 April) to allow time for University Hospital Waterford to complete recruitment of the additional staff required for the service extension to the existing cath lab.

The HSE has advised that the posts required to facilitate the service extension to the existing cath lab were originally envisaged to be reduced Whole Time Equivalent posts, that is, all posts were 0.25 WTE, with the exception of the nursing post at 0.75 WTE. These posts have now been designated as full Whole Time Equivalents, approval and funding has been provided for these posts and recruitment is currently being progressed by the National Recruitment Service.

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 at my request.