asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the sequence of events which led to his decision to close Barrington's hospital, County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Barrington's (Limerick) Hospital Closure.
281.
The various considerations given in recent years to the acute hospital situation in Limerick reflect the fact that the maintenance of three separate hospitals in the city could not be justified on medical or economic grounds.
This issue was again addressed in the context of the review of acute hospital services which I initiated in May 1987. In June 1987 the review group met with the boards of management in St. John's and Barrington's Hospitals and with the management of the Mid-Western Health Board. In view of the fact that Barrington's and St. John's Hospitals are only about 400 yards apart and provide broadly similar services, one of the issues explored at these meetings was the desirability of concentrating the acute work done by St. John's and Barrington's Hospitals on the one site with a reduced bed complement of about 100 beds.
Further meetings were held in Limerick in August 1987 at which the rationalisation of the services provided by the two voluntary hospitals on to one site was proposed. Subsequently both hospitals put forward detailed submissions as to why each of them should be the hospital to be retained. Significantly, neither submission suggested that both hospitals should be retained.
Following these meetings, my Department obtained an architectural report on both hospitals. A full review of the situation in relation to both hospitals was then carried out in my Department. The outcome of the meetings which were held in June and August, the contents of the architectural report and other material already available in the Department were thoroughly analysed. The choice as to which hospital was to be retained as the voluntary hospital in Limerick was made with great care and consideration. I decided in favour of St. John's because:
—it is a more spacious site;
—it is a more spacious building which already has a capacity of 120 beds as opposed to 90 at Barrington's;
—it provides better potential for developing further patient services;
—the hospital building and services are on balance superior to those in Barrington's.
Following from this decision it is clear that improvements are required to the accident and emergency facilities at both St. John's and the Regional Hospital to fill the void which will be created on the closure of the casualty unit at Barrington's. These improvements are being put in hands immediately and will cost about £400,000. There was in any event a real need to up-grade the existing accident and emergency facilities at Barrington's and proposals costing about £1.3 million had been put forward by the hospital.
Due to an unfortunate combination of unexpected deaths and consultants reaching retirement age it would have been necessary to replace at least three consultants at Barrington's Hospital this year. Discussions are now being held with St. John's Hospital and the Mid-Western Health Board to determine how best these vacancies at consultant level can be filled and deployed, together with the two remaining consultants at Barrington's, to provide hospital services in the Limerick area to maximum effect.
When these improvements are completed in Limerick the people of the area will have two hospitals with the capacity to provide the range and quality of services necessary to meet their needs.