Vol. 520 No. 1
209 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps he will to take to make hospitals family friendly, in view of a recent statement by consultants who criticised the lack of crèche facilities in hospitals for staff and patients. [15121/00]
In recent years, public hospitals have become more conscious of the need to provide services in a more family friendly environment. Significant progress has been made in many hospitals with regard to such matters as more open and varied visiting times, particularly for family members visiting patients in maternity and paediatric hospitals. Other initiatives include the provision of crèche facilities and the introduction of flexible working hours for staff members.
The provision of crèche facilities is a matter for hospital management in the first instance and is dependent on a number of factors such as the availability of proper accommodation, resources, demand for the service, the availability of suitably qualified staff and other competing demands.
210 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of hospital appointments cancelled because of the threatened non-consultant hospital doctors' strike. [15122/00]
My Department does not routinely collect national data on the number of hospital appointments cancelled. My Department has, therefore, asked the regional chief executive of the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the chief executive officers of the health boards and relevant health agencies to compile the figures for their areas and forward them to the Deputy directly.
