Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

388. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan is to reduce its accident and emergency services from 24 hours to 12 hours per day; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48811/21]

Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

389. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to maintain services at Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan for the foreseeable future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48812/21]

Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

395. To ask the Minister for Health if Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan was on a list of nine hospitals targeted by the HSE Mallow Report which proposed the downgrading of its accident and emergency services from 24 hours to 12 hours per day; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48819/21]

Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

398. To ask the Minister for Health if the HSE still has plans to downgrade Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan to a model 2 hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48822/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 388, 389, 395 and 398 together.

The Smaller Hospitals Framework was approved by Government and published in 2013. The Framework included a list of nine designated Model 2 Hospitals, including Our Lady’s Hospital Navan. Navan 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 and re-design work, which is still ongoing. This will further integrate and enhance the role of Navan Hospital within the Ireland East Hospital Group, ensuring that it will provide more services safely and appropriately with better linkages to primary, continuing, and social care. The vision for Navan in the future is that it will be a core element in the delivery of integrated care for patients in line with the Slaintecare vision, with the vast majority of current footfall expected to continue.

The planning underway includes the development of a 24 /7 Acute Medical Assessment Unit at Navan, along with a 12/7 Local Injuries Unit, and an extended role for the hospital in areas such as delivery of day and ambulatory surgical activity. The HSE has affirmed that communication with stakeholders will be a core part of planning.