asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties being experienced by members of the public, patients and doctors at the newly opened Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
219.
Written Answers - Beaumont (Dublin) Hospital.
15.
asked the Minister for Health the reason there are so many teething problems in relation to the opening of Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9; whether difficulties in relation to understaffing, communications, car parking and adequacy of bed spaces are being tackled; and if he will make a statement on the situation there currently.
I propose to take Question Nos. 15 and 219 together.
The hospital at Beaumont is one of the biggest in the country and amalgamating two major hospitals and transferring their services to a new site was an extremely difficult and complex task. While there have been difficulties, nevertheless the opening of the hospital was a great achievement, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the boards of the three hospitals and the staff concerned for their co-operation in this regard.
Since it opened the hospital has had the following level of activity: In-patient admissions 4,212, Out-patient attendances 11,508. This is quite a considerable level of activity by any standards.
I have paid particular attention to the operation of Beaumont Hospital since it opened for in-patients on 29 November last. It was appropriate to review the composition of the board and the general arrangements for the management of the hospital once it had been opened. Accordingly, certain changes have been made at board and management level. While the former board had the task of planning for the opening of the hospital, the new board will be concerned with the smooth operation of the various services.
Problems which have been identified are being rapidly addressed by the hospital authorities. I will continue to monitor the situation over the coming months to ensure that any difficulties that may arise are dealt with promptly and effectively.