Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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330. To ask the Minister for Health when 24/7 PPCI will be implemented at University Hospital Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61003/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In 2016, the Herity Report concluded that the needs of the effective catchment population of University Hospital Waterford (UHW) could be accommodated from a single Cath lab and recommended that the operating hours of the existing Cath lab should be extended.

The Programme for Government commits to the delivery of a second Cath lab in University Hospital Waterford. The HSE has advised that funding was allocated in the 2019 Capital Plan for the provision of a second Cath lab at University Hospital Waterford and planning permission was received from Waterford City and County Council in January 2020.

The HSE has further advised that the Contractor for the construction of the new Cath Lab at UHW was formally appointed on 25th March 2021. The project commenced on 17th May 2021 with a 13 month works programme. The project could not commence earlier due to levels of Covid Infection presenting at UHW.

It is expected the main Contractor will hand over the project by the end of June 2022. Equipping and commissioning will follow for a period of 2 months and the Cath Lab is expected to be available for operational use from September 2022 onwards.

The HSE has advised that discussions are on-going in relation to the 12 bed day ward to support the second Cath Lab and that UHW will commence recruitment of the required staff for the Second Catheterisation Laboratory in the coming months.

The Herity Report also recommended that the current 9 to 5 provision of emergency pPCI services at UHW should cease to allow the hospital to focus on the much larger volume of planned work. The then Minister for Health asked the Department to address the implications of this recommendation by arranging for a National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services.

The National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services commenced in January 2018, under the Chairmanship of Professor Phillip Nolan. While substantial progress has been made on the National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services, the COVID-19 Pandemic impacted on the progress of the review during 2020 and into 2021. However, the Cardiac Services Review is now making progress again, and the Steering Group has reconvened in September 2021 with a view to finalisation of the Report. The Group met most recently on 22^ndNovember and is scheduled to meet again in December 2021.

To assist with current interventional cardiology diagnostic elective procedures, UHW has set out a ‘Service Level Agreement’ with UPMC in Waterford. This is a three day week service agreement to assist with scheduled care capacity.

I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, with any further information, as soon as possible.