Hospital Trusts

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 9 October 2013

Wednesday, 9 October 2013

Questions (194)

Róisín Shortall

Question:

194. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health further to the publication of the establishment of hospital groups as a transition to independent hospital trusts, if he will outline in precise terms the way patients who are currently served by the Mater Hospital in Dublin will in future be served; if it is planned to disrupt or terminate existing consultant-patient relationships or to reassign current patients to different consultants; and if he will set out the timescale that is being worked to. [42667/13]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The hospital groups are configured so as to facilitate the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care in a cost effective manner. I wish to assure the Deputy that appropriate patient care pathways will not be affected by the establishment of hospital groups.

In terms of timescale, within a year of establishment, the new hospital groups will be required to produce a strategic plan describing how they will provide more efficient and effective patient services; how they will reorganise these services to provide optimal care to the populations they serve; and how they will achieve maximum integration and synergy with other groups and all other health services, particularly primary care and community based services.