The Health Service Executive has commissioned a number of reviews of the configuration of acute hospital services including the one in the Mid West referred to by the Deputies. In each case, the first priority is patient safety. The challenge in the years ahead will be to organise, manage and deliver high quality services that are focussed in the first instance on the safety of patients.
The Health Service Executive commissioned Horwath Consultants in association with Teamwork Management Services in February 2007 to work on the strategic reviews of acute hospital services being undertaken by the Executive in the Mid West and Southern regions. The reviews focus on identifying the best configuration of acute hospital services in the region including arrangements for A&E, critical care, acute medicine and surgery, together with diagnostic services so that the highest quality of care can be delivered to the population of the regions concerned.
The Health Service Executive reviews will act as one of the inputs to decisions on how best to reconfigure acute services in the regions concerned. The Government and the Executive are committed to ensuring that the approach to re-organisation of services is carried out in consultation with the key stakeholders, and that each element is progressed incrementally. I believe that it is important to work with health professionals and other interested parties to secure an increasing set of improvements over time. This approach will, I am confident, produce the best outcome for patients.
The detailed matters raised by the Deputies are the responsibility of the HSE. My Department has therefore requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to reply directly to the Deputy in relation to these matters.