Health Minister Mary Harneyresponds to last week's HealthSupplementreport on the battle by patients and others to save St Luke's Hospital in Rathgar, Dublin
The key element of delivering effective cancer care is for medical, scientific and nursing staff to work together in an integrated way. The Government decision to transfer St Luke's Hospital is based on expert advice and is designed to ensure that radiation oncology, one element of cancer care, is integrated with all other aspects of care, including surgery and medical oncology.
This is the best model to provide better patient-centred treatment, with improved quality of service and outcome for patients. This is in line with best international practice.
This is not about bricks and mortar; rather it is about the highest standards of treatment and care. The hospitals and the HSE are fully committed to achieving this objective on the campus at St James's.
In progressing the transfer, we will build on the expertise and ethos of St Luke's. I have ensured that experts at St Luke's are centrally involved in the planning and delivery of the National Plan for Radiation Oncology.
The plan consists of large centres in Dublin (at Beaumont and St James's hospitals), Cork and Galway and two integrated satellite centres at Waterford Regional Hospital and Limerick Regional Hospital.
The chief executive at St Luke's will lead the management team of the new facility at St James's. I have also appointed the chairman of St Luke's to chair a national radiation oncology oversight group to advise me on progress of the implementation of the plan.
The board of St Luke's Hospital and its executive management team are fully committed to supporting the Government's decision.
A transfer on similar lines took place last year in Northern Ireland when radiation oncology services transferred to Belfast City Hospital, a major academic teaching hospital.
Discussions on transfer, facilitated by the HSE, are taking place involving the chief executives of both hospitals. A working group is in place to develop close working relationships and ensure a smooth transition.
In addition and in recognition of the role for St Luke's in the new facility at St James's, discussions are ongoing with the boards of both hospitals about its governance and a reconfiguration of the boards.
The twin goals are to ensure continuity of expertise and ethos in the care of cancer patients and the effective integration of multidisciplinary patient care on one site.
I fully acknowledge the significant investment made by the Friends of St Luke's in facilities at the Rathgar site. I am also aware of discussions involving the hospital board and the friends regarding possible future uses of the site.
The primary focus at this point is the delivery of the national plan which centrally involves the hospital and the HSE.
It is also my intention to discuss options on the future use of the site with the hospital board and the HSE. My objective is to ensure that these resources are utilised in the best interest of the health services.
The tender has been awarded for two additional and two replacement linear accelerators at St Luke's to provide much needed interim capacity pending the roll-out of the national plan. These services are expected to begin late this year.