Responsibility for the provision of services at Naas General Hospital rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. The Deputy will be aware that my Department recently approved additional revenue funding of €7.5 million to the authority in respect of commissioning of additional services at the hospital. This funding will facilitate the development of a range of additional services at Naas. In the accident and emergency department the following new facilities are to be commissioned: nine observation beds, two treatment rooms, two additional treatment bays, one additional resuscitation bay, a dedicated triage room for the operation of 24 hour nurse-led triage and a dedicated plaster room. The observation beds are scheduled to open in November 2004 and the remaining facilities, outlined above, are scheduled to open in January 2005.
My Department is advised by the authority that additional capacity will also be put in place in the following Departments, the target commissioning dates for which are outlined in the table below:
Department
|
Date of Commissioning
|
Outpatients
|
November 2004
|
Geriatric Day Hospital
|
November 2004
|
Medical Records
|
November 2004
|
Chaplaincy
|
November 2004
|
Pathology
|
January 2005
|
Pharmacy
|
January 2005
|
Radiology
|
February-March 2005
|
Operating theatres
|
Early 2005
|