Brendan Smith
Question:228 Mr. B. Smith asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress to date in implementing the recommendations of the Bonner report on Monaghan General Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30519/03]
Written Answers. - Hospital Report.
On 25 July 2003 I published the report of Mr. Kevin Bonner on 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 and 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 and Monaghan group. The central involvement of consultant staff within this new structure is a significant development which should enhance the ability of the group to deliver high quality services.
Mr. Bonner recognised in his report that the pattern of acute hospital service delivery is changing world-wide and that Monaghan General Hospital's best guarantee for the future is to participate in and accept those changes which will ensure its future viability. In that context, the report's recommendations on the range and configuration of acute services, including maternity services, to be delivered within the Cavan and Monaghan hospital group are appropriate for consideration by the North-Eastern Health Board.
The recently published national task force on medical staffing report or the Hanly report will further inform decisions in that 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 working time directive to reduce the average weekly working hours of non-consultant hospital doctors and the recommendations of the forum on medical manpower.
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 that 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 and my Department expects proposals from the board in that regard shortly.