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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 20 Mar 2002

Vol. 550 No. 4

Written Answers. - Health Board Services.

Donal Carey

Question:

349 Mr. D. Carey asked the Minister for Health and Children the details of the announcement he made in Ennis, County Clare, when he visited the medical institutions on 1 March 2002; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Clarecastle day care group have finalised their plans for a day care dementia unit. [8504/02]

As the Deputy will be aware, responsibility for the provision of health services in Ennis rests with the chief executive officer of the Mid-Western Health Board. While in Ennis, County Clare on 1 March 2002 the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, had the pleasure of visiting Ennis General Hospital and officially opening the new acute psychiatric unit, the new cardiac rehabilitation unit and the refurbished mammography unit on the hospital campus. The Minister also announced that he had recently written to the Mid-Western Health Board approving the selection and appointment of a design team to prepare a development control plan for the hospital. The Mid-Western Health Board has placed the necessary advertisement in the European Journal inviting applications from suitably qualified architects and other consultants for the project.

In the meantime, the Ennis hospital project team will continue to work towards the completion of the brief for priority developments at the hospital as well as the agreed functional content for the development of the hospital on the existing hospital site. I understand from the Mid-Western Health Board that it has undertaken a review of old age psychiatry services with the objective of examining the future development of this service area in the region. The board has advised that as part of the process a draft review document has been prepared and contributors to the review such as the Clarecastle day care group will have the opportunity to engage with the consultants in old age psychiatry at a planned presentation of the document. The Mid-Western Health Board has advised that while it had been informed of a desire to develop an Alzheimer's unit by members of the group no finalised plans in relation to a proposal had been received.

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