Written answers

Thursday, 13 May 2021

Department of Health

Healthcare Infrastructure Provision

Photo of Catherine ConnollyCatherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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436. To ask the Minister for Health the status of plans for new elective ambulatory facilities in Galway; if a site has been selected to date for same; if planning permission has been sought or granted for same; the timeline for when construction is expected to commence on these facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25301/21]

Photo of Catherine ConnollyCatherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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437. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 81 of 10 December 2020, the status of the business case for elective hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25302/21]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 436 and 437 together.

The development of elective hospital facilities in Dublin, Cork and Galway is in line with the National Development Plan 2018, the 2018 Health Service Capacity Review and was recommitted to in the Sláintecare Implementation Strategy & Action Plan 2021-2023 (May 2021).

In 2019 the Sláintecare Programme Implementation Office (SPIO) established an Elective Hospitals Oversight Group, under the joint governance of the Health Service Executive, Department of Health and Sláintecare, to guide the development of the elective sites. The Elective Hospitals Oversight Group has the following terms of reference:

1. To develop the elective hospital capacity with a ten-year horizon of need, which facilitates the separation of scheduled and unscheduled care.

2. To provide quicker, higher quality, safer care for selected, elective patients.

3. To create capacity for acute hospital sites and reduce/eliminate outlier boarding (trolleys).

4. To drive down waiting lists, both outpatient, inpatient and day case.

5. To reduce cancellations.

6. To reduce acute hospital footfall.

The Oversight Group is following the process outlined in the Public Spending Code, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Guide setting out the value for money requirements for the evaluation, planning and management of large public investment projects in Ireland. As required under the Code, a Strategic Assessment Report has been completed and approved for the development of Elective Hospital facilities. This sets out the rationale for investment, the alignment of the programme with strategic requirements of Government, some initial options and potential costs, and the governance of the programme.

The Preliminary Business Case (PBC), in accordance with the Public Spending Code, is also under preparation. As part of the PBC process, a site identification exercise in Dublin, Cork and Galway has begun. The Elective Hospitals Oversight Group has sought site submissions from members of the public, the HSE and Land Development Agency. Sites submitted will go through a two-stage evaluation process to examine their suitability, including a multi-criteria assessment and cost effectiveness assessment with a view to the Preliminary Business Case recommending a single preferred site option in each of the three locations. Once completed, under the Public Spending Code, the PBC will be assessed by the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform and submitted to Government for its consideration.

As a preferred site option has not yet been approved, the issue of seeking planning permission does not yet arise.

The Sláintecare Programme Implementation Office and the Electives Hospital Oversight Group are engaged with the Saolta Hospital Group about its infrastructure needs. The site requirements for these infrastructure needs have been considered in the site selection process currently underway.

Under the Public Spending Code, Government Decisions will be required at a number of stages. It is not possible to be definitive about timelines, but it is hoped that construction can begin in 2023 and that the new elective centres will be operational no later than 2025.

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