Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 February 2021
894. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 788 of 3 February 2021, if his attention has been drawn to page 88 of the national development plan which, under Acute Hospital Development, specifically mentions a new hospital for Cork; and if, in view of this information, he will provide a timeline for and update on the promised acute hospital in Cork. [7135/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere is a new Hospital being developed in Cork under the current NDP – the Ambulatory Elective Hospital. The Ambulatory Elective Hospital and its services will be acute in nature.
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.”
As is to be expected with a ten-year plan, many proposals, including the elective-only hospital in Cork, are at early stages and, in line with the Public Spending Code, will require to progress through appraisal, planning, design and tender stages before a firm location, timeline or funding required can be established.
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 Oversight Group is following the process outlined in the Public Spending Code. As required under the Code, a Strategic Assessment Report has been drafted 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 currently going through the approval channels.
