Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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14. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the options appraisal for the model 4 hospitals in Galway; when it will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20832/19]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, in May 2017, I gave approval to Saolta University Health Care Group to conduct an options appraisal for future acute hospital needs in Galway.

As part of this, Saolta is undertaking a planning project to assess the population health needs for the Hospital’s catchment area in order to inform existing and future service needs.

The assessment will provide an options appraisal of the infrastructural requirements for Galway as a Model 4 hospital, which operates across two sites including the model 2 hospital at Merlin park.

The Galway Hospitals serve as the tertiary referral centre for complex care for patients of the Saolta Hospital Group, including cancer and cardiac care for the West and North West Region, as well as being the primary acute hospital for secondary care for patients from Galway and adjacent counties.

Saolta has advised that the options appraisal will be completed by the end of July 2019. The reason for this revised schedule was that the project had to be re-tendered as there was no successful outcome from the initial tender process which was undertaken early in 2018. In addition, the scope of the report has been revisited to incorporate interim priority infrastructural requirements.