Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 October 2018
76. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the status of the commitment given by Dáil Éireann to ensure the national maternity hospital remains within public ownership and has legally guaranteed independence from all non-medical influence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43443/18]
View answerFollowing extensive mediation discussions, agreement was reached between the St Vincent’s Healthcare Group and the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) on the relocation of the NMH to the Elm Park campus. The terms of this agreement provides for the establishment of a new company which will have clinical and operational, as well as financial and budgetary independence in the provision of maternity, gynaecology and neonatal services. It is vitally important that the legal and governance arrangements associated with this project are robust. Considerable work has been undertaken to develop a legal framework to protect the State's significant investment in the new hospital and ensure the hospital building remains in State ownership; it is hoped to conclude this work shortly. This legal framework will underpin the operational and clinical independence of the new hospital, ensuring care in the new maternity hospital will be delivered without religious, ethnic or other distinction and any medical procedure which is in accordance with the laws of the land will be carried out there. Once finalised, proposals will be subject to consideration with the parties concerned. I can assure the Deputy that I remain committed to the development of the new maternity hospital on the St Vincent's campus. This is a vital project for women and babies in Ireland, representing the flagship project of the National Maternity Strategy and the largest single investment ever made in maternity services in Ireland. The model of stand-alone maternity hospitals is not the norm internationally. Government policy is therefore to co-locate all remaining maternity hospitals with adult acute services in order to provide optimal clinical outcomes. In that context, it is proposed to relocate not only the NMH, but also University Maternity Hospital Limerick to University Hospital Limerick, Dooradoyle, the Rotunda Hospital to the Connolly Hospital campus in Blanchardstown and the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital, to St James's Hospital. More broadly, the Deputy will be aware that the Government has established an independent review group to examine the role of voluntary organisations in the operation of health and personal social services in Ireland. The terms of reference provide for:
- An examination of current arrangements across the health and social care sector;
- Consideration of issues currently arising, and those likely to arise in the future;
- Recommendations on how the relationship between the State and voluntary organisations should evolve in the future.
