Charlie Flanagan says it is his ‘duty’ to advocate for Portlaoise hospital

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has said it is his "duty" to advocate "grade one" services at Portlaoise hospital in his constituency.

His comments came after a draft report from the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) on the safety of services in Portlaoise said the hospital was removed by the Government from a list of 10 small hospitals chosen by the Health Service Executive to be downgraded from operating as 24-hour facilities but was not resourced for such services.

The hospital was removed from the list after an Oireachtas committee meeting in July 2011 was told it was not Government policy to downgrade the midlands hospital.

Former minister for health James Reilly told the meeting the decision was based on Portlaoise having maternity and paediatric units.

Mr Flanagan, a TD for Laois-Offaly, had complained about “dismantling” of services. The draft report found the HSE failed to act on safety risks at the hospital. Five babies have died after being delivered there in recent years and questions have been raised about emergency care and surgery. The report was critical of official inertia, inaction and indecision in relation to problems at the hospital.

On Wednesday, Mr Flanagan said the controversial draft report on the hospital carried out by Hiqa should be published immediately. Details were published by The Irish Times this week. "I've been a tireless advocate for Portlaoise hospital and for health services in my constituency over a number of years," he said. "I will continue to advocate for grade-one services for the people of Laois and surrounding areas. In fact, I believe it's my duty as a public representative."

Adverse findings

The HSE has said it was disappointed the report’s contents had been leaked and that some of the adverse findings were “inaccurate”.

In an interview on The Irish Times political podcast, Inside Politics, Mr Flanagan said he had no doubt many of the recommendations in the report had been agreed "and some have already been acted upon". He said the hospital was under new management and he believed it had a "viable and bright" future following an injection of €6 million for an extension.

“I believe it’s important that the Hiqa report be published in full at the earliest opportunity,” he said. “I don’t believe that the current drip feeding of sections [of the report] on the daily newspapers in a less than comprehensive way . . . [is] helpful. I believe it’s important that both the HSE and Hiqa come together now with a view towards having that report published.”

Mr Flanagan said Portlaoise was a busy regional hospital with more than 40,000 people passing through its emergency department on an annual basis.

“Up to 2,000 babies are born in that hospital. It’s essential therefore that that hospital be fully equipped and that it provides the type of service that it’s designated to provide,” he said.