Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2013
139. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will report on the progress made to date in the provision of enhanced hospital facilities and other essential services for patients with cystic fibrosis [22563/13]
View answerI am fully aware of the challenges facing cystic fibrosis patients in managing their condition and of the need to support these patients and their families. I am committed to providing the best possible health service and will continue to work with the HSE to ensure the best possible outcomes for these patients.
There has been significant investment in services for people with Cystic Fibrosis in the last few years, the most recent development being the opening of a new dedicated Cystic Fibrosis unit in July 2012 at St Vincent’s Hospital. This unit contains single en suite rooms which are dedicated for inpatient CF patients and reflects best practice in terms of infection control.
The new Nutley Wing (opened summer 2012) at St Vincent’s University Hospital (SVUH) is a seven-storey development of which two floors contain a dedicated Cystic Fibrosis unit.Under a protocol for the treatment of CF patients at SVUH, signed off in July 2012 with the hospital, the HSE, Department of Health and CFA, up to 34 isolation beds will be made available in the new wing and the 10-bed day unit will be used effectively to help ensure that patients are treated in the optimum setting.
Beaumont Hospital is one of the 6 specialist centres and provides services to adults with cystic fibrosis. In the 2008 Budget, a special allocation of €2.5m capital funding was provided to enable the hospital to provide facilities for ambulatory care of people with cystic fibrosis.
This enabled the provision of the new dedicated Outpatient facility for patients with CF and will facilitate a comprehensive range of services from the multidisciplinary teams; these include outpatient clinics, a drop in centre / base for clinical assessments with medical consultants and nurses, and the provision of treatments that otherwise have required hospitalization. This facility opened on 26 October 2010.
St Paul's Ward is the specialist respiratory ward in the hospital, on which the single rooms are for elective admissions of patients with CF for prophylactic antibiotic therapy (or other treatment as required). With priority access to a number of en-suite inpatient rooms, the need for an adult with CF being admitted as an inpatient via the Emergency Department is now a rare occurrence.
Services in Dublin for children with Cystic Fibrosis are provided at Crumlin, Tallaght and Temple Street Hospitals. A new dedicated Respiratory and CF unit was opened in Temple Street in June 2010 providing state of the art facilities for children with respiratory disorders, their families and staff. It includes a lung function laboratory with the most up to date equipment, spacious patient treatment rooms and outpatient clinic rooms. The National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Laboratory is also located in Temple Street and newborn screening for Cystic Fibrosis, introduced in July 2011, is an integral component of the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme.
On a regional basis services for children with CF are also provided at specialist centres in Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Drogheda. The majority of services for children cystic fibrosis care are delivered on an ambulatory care basis.
As the provision of facilities and services for persons with cystic fibrosis is an operational matter for the HSE, I have also asked the HSE to reply directly to the deputy on this matter.
