Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 19 Nov 2003

Vol. 574 No. 5

Written Answers. - Hospital Services.

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

94 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress which has been made with regard to the implementation of the recommendations of the Bonner report on Monaghan Hospital, particularly in regard to the establishment of midwife-led obstetrics service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27570/03]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

On 25 July 2003, I published the report of Mr. Kevin Bonner in relation to Monaghan General Hospital. I indicated at that time my acceptance of the main recommendation of the report that Monaghan General Hospital should continue to play a vital role in the delivery of acute hospital services to the local community within the Cavan-Monaghan hospital group. I have also accepted that additional services can be developed at the hospital to the benefit of the local community. In particular, I welcomed the proposals in the report aimed at strengthening the management capacity of the hospital within the Cavan-Monaghan group. The central involvement of consultant staff within this new structure is a very significant development which should enhance the ability of the group to deliver high quality services.

Mr. Bonner has recognised in his report that the pattern of acute hospital service delivery is changing worldwide and that Monaghan hospital's best guarantee for the future is to participate in and accept those changes which will ensure its future viability. In this context, the report's recommendations in relation to the range and configuration of acute services, including maternity services, to be delivered within the Cavan-Monaghan hospital group are appropriate for consideration by the North-Eastern Health Board.

The recently published national task force on medical staffing report, the Hanly report, will further inform decisions in this regard. The task force was asked to make recommendations about how to best organise hospital medical staffing within the hospital system, having regard to the requirement of the European Union working time directive to reduce the average weekly working hours of non-consultant hospital doctors and the recommendations of the forum on medical manpower.

On midwife-led obstetrics, Mr. Bonner recommended that the units planned for both Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, and Cavan General Hospital should become operational as soon as possible in order that they can be evaluated prior to the opening of similar units at Louth County Hospital and Monaghan General Hospital. This recommendation is in accordance with the earlier recommendations of the report of the maternity services review group to the North-Eastern Health Board, Kinder report of September 2001.

Comhairle na nOspidéal, which has the statutory function,inter alia, of advising the Minister or any other body established under the Health Act 1970 on matters relating to the organisation and operation of hospital services, has recently published the report of its committee reviewing maternity and related services in the North-Eastern Health Board area. On midwife-led units, comhairle supports the concept of such units in hospitals where consultant obstetric, paediatric and anaesthetic cover is available on-site. The policy advice received will inform the North-Eastern Health Board in relation to the development of maternity and related services in the region.

In accordance with the recommendations in the Bonner report, I am making additional capital funding available to the North-Eastern Health Board under the national development plan. In this context, the board has been asked to identify urgent capital needs at Monaghan General Hospital in areas such as refurbishment, fire precaution and other health and safety measures.