Fine Gael proposal: The Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney has said that proposals put forward by Fine Gael for the development of a new tertiary referral hospital for adults and children on the outskirts of Dublin, which would treat serious and rare conditions, had merit and made sense.
Fine Gael spokesman on health, Dr Liam Twomey, has proposed that tertiary services such as neurosurgery and paediatric cardiac care, which receive referrals from around the country, should be brought together in a new hospital on a greenfield site which would have a proper research facility on campus.
Dr Twomey said one area of healthcare reform Fine Gael would implement if in government would be the development of a new tertiary referral hospital.
However, speaking in the Dáil last week the Tánaiste indicated that she too would consider such a development. She said the Fine Gael plan had "considerable merit".
"Deputy Twomey's suggestion regarding a tertiary facility for a population of four million makes sense. Clearly, we would need to avail of the best expertise in this area. It is always better to bring those providing a national service together in a single location," she said.
Dr Twomey said that at present tertiary services were scattered across Dublin and were not available on one campus.
"This situation is neither good medicine nor good value," Dr Twomey said.
He said the transfer of services such as neurosurgery from Beaumont and transplant services from the Mater to a new greenfield site would free up many acute beds in these hospitals.
"Proper development for the future needs a rethink. I am proposing that a major tertiary hospital should be constructed on the outskirts of Dublin meeting a number of critical criteria. It would have to be accessible from all parts of the greater Dublin area and the rest of the country. Vehicle transport access will be important for the greater Dublin area but helicopter access will be vital for every acute hospital in Ireland.
"Rapid inter-hospital transfer between this hospital and other acute hospitals throughout Ireland would be developed to ensure the successful development of this tertiary hospital. The air ambulance must be 24/7 to ensure the rapid transfer of seriously ill patients to the tertiary centre," he said.
Dr Twomey suggested that patients needing transfers to the tertiary centre would be stabilised at the first hospital they arrived in. A nationwide protocol for all hospitals would operate to ensure the safe and proper transfer of all patients speedily to the tertiary hospital.
He proposed that the tertiary centre would have an outpatients department but that videoconference facilities with regional hospitals be provided to ensure regional access.
"The hospital would have a level-one trauma centre where emergency paramedical ambulance crews could decide to bring accident victims directly, if the paramedics were satisfied their patients would benefit from the services provided," he said.
