Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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500. To ask the Minister for Health under the HSE budget allocated to University Hospital Waterford as part of the Herity Protocol to engage 24 wholetime equivalates to UHW cardiac service, this money did not allow for additional equipment or hours to cover weekend CAT Lab emergency access 8 am to 8 pm, if he will confirm that as part of supplementary estimates he is making available such monies as required to allow seven day Cat Lab access at UHW; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49430/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Following the announcement of the budget allocation for my Department, I will shortly be issuing a Letter of Determination to the HSE outlining my priorities and funding levels for 2024. This will be the basis on which the HSE will draw up its National Service Plan (NSP) for 2024. It is not until the conclusion of this process that a detailed breakdown of ELS expenditure will be available.

The government is committed to the ongoing development of University Hospital Waterford. Significant additional resources have been allocated to the hospital in recent years to meet the needs of patients. Staffing at the hospital is now approx. 2,660 WTE (July 2023), an increase of 36.5% since December 2019. The hospital’s budget has increased by 30% since 2019 to €261.7 million, a significant increase in funding in this time period.

The Programme for Government committed to the delivery of a second Cath Lab in University Hospital Waterford (UHW) and funding was allocated in the 2019 Capital Plan for this, I am pleased to confirm that the HSE has advised that the 2nd Cath Lab opened on 4th of September 2023. The 2nd Cath lab operates 5 days per week Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm. The hospital uses a combination of day beds and recovery spaces to support the second Cath Lab. The existing Cath Lab is open from 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays), the opening hours for which were extended in Sept 2022.

The HSE has advised that future cardiac developments at the hospital will be guided by the publication of the National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services (NRCS) and its findings. The aim of the Cardiac Services Review is to recommend configuration for a national adult cardiac service to achieve optimal patient outcomes at population level with particular emphasis on the safety, quality and sustainability of the services that patients receive. This aligns with the Sláintecare reform programme. In terms of scope, the National Review covers scheduled and unscheduled hospital-based services for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease in adults.