Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 June 2007
63 Deputy Brian Hayes asked the Minister for Health and Children her actions in recent months in the development of the new national tertiary paediatric hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18000/07]
Amharc ar fhreagraI congratulate Deputy Howlin on his election to the Office of Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I have no doubt he will be an outstanding Leas-Cheann Comhairle and that he may be tempted from time to time to intervene inappropriately, given that he is a man with strong opinions on many subjects, including health.
There have been a number of important developments in regard to the new national paediatric hospital during recent months. On 8 March last, I announced the appointment of Mr. Philip Lynch as chairman designate of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board. I recently signed an order establishing the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board on a statutory basis. The development board held its inaugural meeting last Monday.
The principal functions of the board will be to plan, design, build, furnish and equip the new national paediatric hospital in accordance with a brief to be approved by the Health Service Executive. The brief will set out the preferred model of care, the core services to be delivered at the new hospital and the additional range of services to be provided in an urgent ambulatory care setting, taking account of international best practice.
The HSE is being advised in this context by Rawlinson Kelly & Whittlestone Limited, RKW, an established UK-based health care planning company. In finalising its work RKW, together with a panel of international advisers, has arranged a series of meetings later this week with key stakeholders, including the three paediatric hospitals.
The development board has begun the process of putting in place the necessary project support structure to progress the development. I am aware that the position in regard to the provision of paediatric services in Tallaght Hospital has been a matter of concern for the hospital and the local community. I was, therefore, pleased to confirm recently that a major ambulatory care centre in Tallaght will be advanced as part of the initial phase of the new paediatric hospital development. This ambulatory care centre will offer a comprehensive and wide range of services to children, including an urgent care service, a major expansion in outpatient services and a significantly increased day surgery service. This followed an analysis of the current location of major paediatric populations in the catchment area for the new hospital and the need to minimise the travel time for children requiring access to such services.
The vast majority of current attendees at the existing children's accident and emergency department in Tallaght Hospital do not require admission and will continue to access their care at the ambulatory care centre.
I thank the Minister for her kind comments.
I would like to be associated with the Minister's kind remarks in wishing the Leas-Cheann Comhairle well and to assure him that we, on this side of the House, will support him in his difficult task.
I thank the Minister for her reply. She has confirmed to the House that RKW undertook, at the request of the HSE and her Department, to identify locations for the new centres? Why then did the Minister announce on 16 May last the development of a new children's care centre in Tallaght which many of us representing the local area believe is an attempt to substitute for the closure of our local children's hospital? Why did the Minister make that announcement before RKW had completed its work and was still involved in ongoing discussions with all the stakeholders? Did the Minister consult or inform Professor Drumm and the HSE of her intention to make the announcement on 16 May?
I thank Deputy Brian Hayes for his kind comments.
Professor Drumm informed me that that recommendation had been made. I acquired the information from the HSE. I believed it was important that it be put into the public domain as quickly as possible given the confusion caused by the misrepresentation of what was happening in this area. It was always the case, as the Deputy will be aware, that in addition to a national children's hospital, there would be ambulatory care centres. RKW believes that the major centre, which will be under the auspices of the children's hospital and will not be stand-alone or separate, should be located in Tallaght. It may well be that two further centres will be located in the greater Dublin area. However, that remains to be determined.
The Minister did not make an announcement in respect of the other two sites prior to the election.
They will not be major centres. There will be only one major centre and it will be located in Tallaght.
The Minister has confirmed to the House that she made an announcement prior to RKW's completion of its work in consultation with the stakeholders. That is a fact. The Minister has also confirmed that that information came from Professor Drumm which, I suspect, other stakeholders will be interested to learn.
On the now established development board, which will seek to bring the tertiary hospital at the Mater all the way in terms of development, will the Minister confirm that two of the three hospitals cited in the statutory instrument which she signed into law two days before the general election, when the House could not discuss the matter, have refused to nominate a person to the development board? As there is not unanimous agreement on the best location for the national children's hospital, is it not premature to advance? If the Minister's model of paediatric care in Dublin city and county is put in place is she satisfied that no child will die because two of the three existing 24/7 accident and emergency wards in Crumlin and Tallaght will be no more?
I am satisfied the model of care being put in place will deliver higher quality care to very sick children from the whole country. This is not only a hospital for Dublin. It is a hospital for the entire country. Between 40% and 45% of the patients will come from outside the Dublin area. This is the model of care that operates in the best children's hospitals in the world, such as those in Toronto, Philadelphia, Chicago and one being put in place in Manchester.
It is not true that the other hospitals have refused to nominate persons to the development board. Tallaght hospital wished to send somebody to the meeting last Monday. It said it had not chosen its representative on the board and asked if it could send a different person. A view was taken by the chairman that it would be better to wait until its representative could sit on the board.
On 8 March 2007, I made it clear that we would establish the development board. Mr. Philip Lynch was announced as chairman designate. He and I consulted the three hospitals affected regarding the appointments to the board. I made it clear that as soon as that consultation process was completed and the legal instrument was in place I would sign it. There was no question of that not happening. Nothing secret was done. The process began on 8 March.
Why does the Minister believe it appropriate to sign a statutory instrument two days before a general election when the House did not have an opportunity to debate or annul the order? Why did the Minister feel she had the right to make that decision two days before a general election? She also made the decision regarding Tallaght hospital one week before a general election when her own seat was at risk. That is not the way to do business. One does not employ a group of people to do a piece of work and gazump them while they are doing it.
As someone who tried to scare people in the Tallaght area I am sure Deputy Hayes was surprised at the outcome of the election.
The scare-mongering came from the Minister's side.
Deputy Hayes told the electors there would be no children's services for all of Tallaght.
I did not.
I saw his big hoardings.
I said exactly what would happen. I said the Minister was choosing to close Tallaght children's hospital. That is what is happening. The Minister will not get away with misrepresentation.
More than 80% of the children currently treated at Tallaght will continue to be treated there. There will be an increased volume of activity at Tallaght.
What will they do after 8 o'clock in the evening?
The will go to the secondary care centre in the centre of Tallaght.
With suspected meningitis? What will happen next?
If people have suspected meningitis they should be in that kind of centre. They should be in the primary centre.
If the Government believes, with the support of the Health Service Executive, that we should have a single paediatric hospital for very sick children it is appropriate that we go ahead with that. Among the people urging me to proceed was the chairman designate, who was keen to get on with the job.
