Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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540. To ask the Minister for Health if he has plans to close the accident and emergency department in Navan Hospital. [47114/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Our Lady’s Hospital Navan is one of nine designated Model 2 Hospitals under the Smaller Hospitals’ Framework which was approved by Government in 2013. Navan is the last of those hospitals identified for reconfiguration to Model 2.

As the Deputy will be aware, the HSE has proposed a process of planned service changes at Navan and has advised that these changes are necessary to support safe service delivery on a sustained basis, and are driven first and foremost by patient safety considerations.

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.

I have asked the HSE to undertake a review of capacity. This review is currently underway and the HSE has advised that it expects it to be completed shortly.