Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 November 2020
774. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the date of publication of the elective hospital oversight board group report on the elective hospital in Cork; where this report can be found; if there has been a delay in the publication of the report, the reason for same; and when the report will be published. [36749/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra775. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the groups, stakeholders and expert bodies on the elective hospital oversight board group, specifically in respect of the hospital in Cork. [36750/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra776. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health when the elective hospital oversight board group was established; and the functions and reporting responsibilities of same. [36751/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra777. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health if the catchment area analysis conducted by the elective hospital oversight board group in respect of the elective hospital in Cork will be provided. [36752/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra778. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the status of the high-level facilities spatial brief currently being conducted by the elective hospital oversight board group in respect of the elective hospital in Cork. [36753/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 774 to 778, inclusive, together.
In 2019 the Sláintecare Programme Implementation Office (SPIO) established an Elective Hospitals Oversight Group, under the joint governance of the Health Service Executive, Department of Health and Sláintecare, to guide the development of the elective/ambulatory sites, as outlined in the National Development Plan (February 2018).
The direction set out in the National Development Plan stated that “New dedicated ambulatory elective only hospital facilities will be introduced in Dublin, Galway and Cork. These facilities will provide high volume, low complexity procedures on a day and outpatient basis, together with a range of ambulatory diagnostic services. The high volume of demand for such services in these major urban centres is sufficient to justify the construction of dedicated ambulatory centres.” The introduction of these dedicated elective/ambulatory sites is also in line with the recommendations of the 2018 Health Service Capacity Review and the Sláintecare Implementation Strategy (August 2018).
The Elective Hospitals Oversight Group has the following terms of reference:
1. To develop the elective hospital capacity with a ten-year horizon of need, which facilitates the separation of scheduled and unscheduled care.
2. To provide quicker, higher quality, safer care for selected, elective patients.
3. To create capacity for acute hospital sites and reduce/eliminate outlier boarding (trolleys).
4. To drive down waiting lists, both outpatient and inpatient/day case.
5. To reduce cancellations.
6. To reduce acute hospital footfall.
The Membership of the Electives Hospitals Oversight Group is as follows:
Professor Frank Keane (Chair) (Surgeon)
Laura Magahy (Executive Director, Sláintecare )
Greg Dempsey (Deputy Secretary, DoH)
Dr Alan Smith (Deputy Chief Medical Officer, DoH)
Dr Vida Hamilton (National Clinical Advisor and Group Lead Acute Operations, HSE)
Dean Sullivan (Chief Strategy and Planning Officer, HSE)
Yvonne Goff (Director of Integrated Information Service and Scheduled Care Transformation Programme, HSE)
Paul De Freine (Chief Architectural Adviser, HSE Estates)
Mr Kenneth Mealy (Surgeon)
Aonraid Dunne (Principal Officer, Capital/infrastructure, Strategy and Policy Division, DoH)
Andrew Conlon (Principal Officer, Acute Hospitals Policy Division, DoH)
Administrative and specialist support has been provided by SPIO, RCSI, and the HSE.
The Oversight Group is following the process outlined in the Public Spending Code. As required under the Code, members of the SPIO and the EHOG drafted a Strategic Assessment Report for the development of Elective Hospital facilities. This sets out the rationale for investment, the alignment of the programme with strategic requirements of Government, some initial options and potential costs, and the governance of the programme. This document is complete and is going through the approval channels.
A high-level facilities Spatial brief, including costs, a functional description and process flow, a site options appraisal and a Preliminary Business Case (PBC) in accordance with the public spending code is also under preparation. This will be delivered before the end of 2020.
