Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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137. To ask the Minister for Health if he will meet with members of a campaign (details supplied) to discuss the HSE plan to close the accident and emergency department in a hospital overnight. [48489/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Our Lady’s Hospital Navan is included in the list of designated Model 2 Hospitals under the Smaller Hospitals Framework, which was approved by Government in 2013. It will be the last of those hospitals to transition to Model 2. The HSE has advised that changes to the services at Navan, in line with the Government Decision, are necessary to support safe service delivery on a sustained basis. However, they can only take place on completion of the necessary planning, which is still ongoing. I am assured that communication with stakeholders will of course be a core part of planning, and also that the vast majority of current footfall at the hospital will continue.

Any changes to the services at Navan will be about ensuring patient safety and quality on the one hand, and that people have care as close to home as possible on the other. The HSE has said clearly there is a patient safety rationale for the change and we need to be mindful of that.

I understand that it is intended that there will be engagement with all interested parties to ensure that the needs of patients, staff, the local and wider community are addressed. The HSE has affirmed this communication is part of the ongoing planning in relation to Navan.