Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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11. To ask the Minister for Health if the Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore will be designated as a trauma unit. [28297/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Report of the Trauma Steering Group – A Trauma System for Ireland was approved by Government on the 6th February 2018 and published online. 

 In an inclusive Trauma System, as recommended for Ireland by the Trauma Steering Group, the trauma care pathway is not organised around individual institutions but in the context of networked ones whereby all acute hospitals participate – each has a role as either a Major Trauma Centre, Trauma Unit, Local Emergency Hospital or Injury Unit. 

The Trauma Unit is a hospital within a Trauma Network that provides care for most types of injuries. Depending on the injuries sustained, major trauma patients can be taken to these hospitals for definitive care rather than to the Major Trauma Centre.

The detailed proposed designation criteria for Trauma Units are set out in Appendix 6 of the Report of the Trauma Steering Group.

 Currently in Ireland, there are 16 acute hospitals that could potentially meet the designation criteria for Trauma Units. The Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore is one of these 16 hospitals. While at present these 16 hospitals all treat trauma, many of the hospitals would need further enhancement and management to meet the level of service provision required to fulfil the designation criteria for Trauma Units.

The HSE has established an interim implementation group, as recommended in the Report, with Departmental representation, to commence immediate actions including recruitment of a National Clinical Lead and establishment of the National Office for Trauma Services, and selection of a Major Trauma Centre for Dublin. The group met for the first time on 12 April and continues to meet on a regular basis to consider these actions in the first instance. Detailed implementation planning will be required to fully implement the Trauma Strategy over a number of years, and will be led by the National Office for Trauma Services.