Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The development of new or refurbished healthcare facilities are, under normal circumstances, approved by the Hospital Group initially before being approved by the relevant HSE Directorate prior to submission to the HSE National Capital and Property Steering Committee (NC&PSC). Once approved by NC&PSC the project is eligible for prioritisation and inclusion on the HSE capital plan, subject to the level of funding.

There are a number of infrastructure improvements included on the Capital Plan for Sligo University Hospital, including a 42 bed ward development and installation of a second CT scanner. Audiology service infrastructure is currently not included on the Capital Plan.

The development of new or refurbished healthcare facilities anywhere in the country cannot be seen in isolation or separate from the delivery of related health care services. In addition to the above process and in order to enhance capital investment, the Department of Health are currently developing a Strategic Health Investment Framework to ensure that investments are evidenced based, equitable, and ensure Sláintecare reforms are achieved, with the overall objective of having better health outcomes for the population of Ireland. SHIF is a high-level framework which sets out the Investment Criteria and an Intervention Hierarchy based on the principle of the Continuum of Care by which all capital investment proposals in the public health sector are to be assessed.