Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 November 2023
10. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the level of additional core expenditure for new developments, excluding funding for carryover and otherwise maintaining existing levels of service, which has been allocated to Monaghan Hospital for 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48991/23]
View answer15. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health to outline the investment and enhancement in services at a hospital (details supplied) since he assumed office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48127/23]
View answerMy question for the Minister is if he will outline the level of additional core funding that will be provided for new developments at Monaghan Hospital in 2024 outside of carry-over and otherwise maintenance of the existing level of services.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 15 together. My note says that I am taking this question together with No. 15 tabled by Deputy Niamh Smyth. I thank Deputy Carthy for the question on Monaghan Hospital. As Minister for Health, I am fully committed to the development of the regional hospitals, including Monaghan. As the Deputy will be aware, there has been a welcome and significant increase in investment in recent years into Monaghan Hospital. In fact, between 2020 and 2023 the funding investment into Monaghan Hospital has gone up by almost 50%, which is great to see. Critically, the staffing has gone up by 60%. As Deputy Carthy will be aware, the minor injury unit is now open seven days a week since July. There was an expansion in 2021. We had a 23-bed intermediate care ward added. The Deputy will also be aware of the endoscopy facilities, the echocardiogram, ECHO, and exercise stress test, EST, room for cardiac patients. The third ultrasound room was delivered in 2022. New step-down wards with eight beds are to be delivered this year. There has been a very significant increase in funding.
It is worth saying that the reason this is happening is because we know that our healthcare professionals in Monaghan are doing such a good job. We know that with this investment, they are providing the kind of care in the community that is required.
Forgive my naivety but I thought the Minister might actually answer the question that was submitted and put to him.
I accept there has been increased investment in Monaghan Hospital. It took an awful lot of pressure in order to get it, and it came from a very low base because of the disastrous decisions of previous Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments to remove services. The decisions to remove services had a devastating impact on other hospitals, in particular Drogheda and Cavan hospitals. Could I ask the Minister again, how much additional funding for new services is going to be provided to Monaghan Hospital in 2024?
I think the question is grouped with Deputy Ó Murchú's Question No. 14.
I have it that it is with No. 15
No. 14 is about the RCSI Hospitals Group.
We can do that one separately.
Okay, yes.
I thank Deputy Carthy for acknowledging that there has been important investment. I know he is asking about the future and I respect that, but when there has been such an increase in funding to Monaghan Hospital, it is important too that we acknowledge it and that we acknowledge the work the healthcare workers have done with that funding on behalf of the local communities.
In terms of the exact funding that will go to Monaghan Hospital next year, that is being worked out now through the process of the letter of determination into the HSE, which will issue very shortly. The HSE will then come back with a draft national service plan and that level of detail is where that gets worked through. What I can say is that at a policy level, safe staffing, safe nurse staffing, which I know Deputy Carthy's party has signed up to, is fully funded next year for every hospital, including Monaghan Hospital, so there will likely be additional investments there.
It is also worth saying - I do not know if I will be seeing the Deputy tomorrow but I may be – that the investment in Monaghan Hospital is one part of the investment into the area more broadly. I will come back in my second response to reference the community-based investment as well.
I would like it if the Minister, in any of his responses, actually answered the question put. We are virtually in the middle of November and it is impossible to provide new developments at Monaghan hospital without a budget allocated. We do not have one. I take it from his response that no additional funding has been allocated to the hospital at this stage.
A computed tomography, CT, scanner was to be provided to Monaghan hospital. That has been removed. Will it be returned? As I understand it, the hospital has sought operational capacity in magnetic resonance imaging, MRI. Will the Minister provide the funding to deliver an MRI service at the hospital?
That level of operational detail is being worked through by the HSE at the moment on a hospital-by-hospital basis. We will have a full account of that when we have the national service plan. What I can say is that I will open two new primary centres tomorrow, in Monaghan town and Clones. This entails an investment of nearly €30 million. These are state-of-the-art facilities. Critically, as we move next year to a regional basis, the people in County Monaghan will see more community care services joining up, including the two new primary care centres and the expanded capacity we are now seeing in Monaghan town. There is very significant additional capacity now by comparison with when the Government came into power in 2020.
