Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
858. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health the work that has been undertaken within her Department or the HSE to evaluate the consistency of the Small Hospitals Framework 2013 with current clinical guidance, including national clinical programmes and Sláintecare-aligned models of care; if a review of the framework is planned and the reasons for that decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45042/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Smaller Hospitals Framework 2013 was drafted by the HSE and the Department of Health, approved by Government and published in 2013, in response to the 2009 HIQA report into the Mid-Western Regional Hospital Ennis. The Framework includes a list of nine designated hospitals that were to transition to Model 2.
The Framework defines the activities that can be performed in smaller Model 2 hospitals in a safe, sustainable, and efficient manner. It provides a stronger role for smaller hospitals in delivering a higher volume of less complex care in many cases closer to patients' homes. It also ensures that patients who require true emergency or complex planned care are managed safely in a larger hospital environment. In that context, the Smaller Hospitals Framework was a precursor to the Sláintecare vision of ensuring that people are seen in the right place, at the right time. In addition, the Framework also envisioned these smaller hospitals being more interconnected with primary care, and these connections will be further developed as we move to a more integrated model of care under the Health Regions.
Performance oversight of acute hospitals, including the Model 2 hospitals, is built into the HSE's Performance and Accountability Framework (PAF). The PAF is aligned with government policy such as Sláintecare, and provides acute hospitals governance and performance arrangements, with patient impact kept under review through ongoing monitoring of service delivery and outcomes.
Considerations in relation to the consistency and alignment of the Smaller Hospitals Framework with current clinical guidelines and clinical programme models of care would be a matter for the HSE. As such, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
