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Hospital Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 February 2021

Wednesday, 24 February 2021

Questions (793)

David Cullinane

Question:

793. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the timeline for expanding provision of primary percutaneous coronary intervention, PPCI, hours at University Hospital Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9516/21]

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Written answers

In 2016, the Herity Report concluded that the needs of the effective catchment population of University Hospital Waterford (UHW) could be accommodated from a single cath lab and recommended that the operating hours of the existing cath lab should be extended.

The Herity Report also recommended that the current 9 to 5 provision of emergency pPCI services at UHW should cease to allow the hospital to focus on the much larger volume of planned work. The then Minister for Health asked the Department to address the implications of this recommendation by arranging for a National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services.

The National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services commenced in January 2018 with Professor Phillip Nolan as Chair of the Steering Group. This Review aims to achieve optimal patient outcomes at population level with particular emphasis on the safety, quality and sustainability of the services that patients receive by establishing the need for an optimal configuration of a national adult cardiac service.

While substantial progress has been made on the Review, the work of the Steering Group has been interrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Chair’s involvement in the response, both as a member of the NPHET and Chair of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group. However, it is intended that the Cardiac Services Review will continue and it is planned that work will progress again in the coming months.

Future decisions in relation to cardiac services will be informed by the recommendations of the National Review.

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