David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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418. To ask the Minister for Health if he will halt plans to close the emergency department at Navan Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33349/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the HSE has proposed a process of planned service changes at Navan. The HSE advises these changes are necessary to support safe service delivery on a sustained basis, and are driven first and foremost by patient safety considerations and very real clinical concerns.

While recognising the very real clinical concerns identified, the Government is clear that several important issues, including additional capacity in other hospitals impacted and the continued ability of people in the Navan area to access emergency and urgent care,  would need to be fully addressed before any proposed transition by the HSE could be considered.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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419. To ask the Minister for Health the number of meetings attended by him on the subject of Navan Hospital; the date of such meetings; the title and role of those attending the meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33350/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I have had a number of discussions regarding Our Lady’s Hospital Navan in recent weeks. Recently, these include a meeting with consultants based in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda on 9 June where concern about the potential impact of the reconfiguration of Our Lady’s Hospital Navan on Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda was expressed.

On 13 June, I invited local representatives to a briefing by HSE operational and clinical leads. At this meeting, the HSE described the patient safety rationale for the proposed change to a Model 2 hospital and several important issues were discussed.

I will ask my diary team to revert to the Deputy’s office directly regarding details and attendees of other meetings held.