Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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396. To ask the Minister for Health the current plans for the new regional hospital which is to be located in Navan, County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48820/21]

Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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397. To ask the Minister for Health the specific timeline for the proposed new regional hospital in Navan; the expected start and finish dates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48821/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 396 and 397 together.

I take it that the Deputy is referring to the transition of Our Lady's Hospital Navan to a Model 2 hospital.

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.