Acute hospitals decision postponed

The decision over where to site the new acute hospital for the southwest has been delayed until next month, the NIO Health Minister has said.

Des Browne revealed today that he would not be announcing his decision – which had originally pencilled in for the end of this month – until February 24. The Minister said that the decision had to be postponed as he had received new information from his counterpart in the Republic on the capacity of border hospitals – which would now have to be factored into the decision-making process.

The consultation document, 'Developing Better Services: Modernising Hospitals and Reforming Structures', was issued on June 12 last year and the consultation period ended on October 31. The consultation noted that if hospitals in Republic of Ireland adjacent to the Fermanagh border were able to provide Accident and Emergency services, and a full range of acute services in an emergency to the population south of the Fermanagh Lakes, it would have a bearing on access times to emergency acute services.

However, according to the NIO, at the time 'Developing Better Services' was issued there was "uncertainty as to whether the relevant hospitals in the Republic of Ireland could deliver, over the longer term, the capacity and services equivalent to those provided by acute hospitals in Northern Ireland".

Minister for the Department of Health and Children in Dublin, Micheál Martin, outlined the use of hospitals in the Republic of Ireland in a letter received on January 23.

In response, Mr Browne said: "This letter and further work my department has recently undertaken in relation to journey times and hospital catchments should, I believe, be put into the public domain, to allow time for people to consider this information and to respond if necessary, in good time before I make decisions. This means I will not be able to make my decisions at the end of January as planned."

The Minister stressed that he was aware of the pressing need for a decision to be made "to avoid the damaging effect to services in our hospitals that a prolonged delay would cause".

A substantial number of responses have been received to the consultation including over 4,000 letters and e-mails. In addition, we received some 3,000 postcards and petitions with approximately 40,000 signatures.

A summary of the responses will be prepared and made available to the public.

(GMcG)