§ 3. Lady Hermon (North Down) (UUP)If he will make a statement on funding for the Ulster hospital, Dundonald. [167662]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Angela Smith)The Eastern Health and Social Services Board plans to spend an additional £1.6 million on acute service developments at the Ulster hospital in 2004–05. In addition, my Department has provided £2,865,000 to support capital development at the hospital in 2004–05. As the hon. Lady knows, a major redevelopment programme is under way and the overall long-term development is expected to cost approximately £200 million. The next phase will provide additional ward capacity, the expansion and upgrading of services, and a new renal unit with 30 haemodialysis stations.
§ Lady HermonI am grateful to the Minister for that helpful and informative reply. Will she go a little further and tell the House how she proposes to deal with the serious issue of low staff morale at the Ulster hospital on account of inadequate funding there?
§ Angela SmithAn indication of the additional funding that is being put into the hospital arts locality equity are important for staff morale. We will do everything that we can, both at a personal level and in the Department, to show the staff who work in our hospitals that we greatly value their work. I pay tribute to the staff at Ulster and other hospitals, who, as the hon. Lady knows, have recently had difficult circumstances to deal with as a result of a nasty stomach bug. The way the staff responded to that in the interests of patients must be recognised and praised.
§ Mrs. Iris Robinson (Strangford) (DUP)The Minister will be aware that the chief executive of the Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust resettled patients without dedicated funds during the recent outbreak of gastroenteritis at the hospital in an effort to reduce the number of patients in the delayed discharge category. Will the Minister assist with additional funding for the return to community care of patients whose discharge was brought forward to minimise the spread of the superbug?
§ Angela SmithThe whole House should be aware of the tremendous effort that has been made not only by the Ulster hospital, but by others, including the Royal Victoria hospital, which have seen the implications of 874 what is happening. We have already provided £7 million of additional funding this year to deal with delayed discharges. We would certainly consider any request for additional funding, but it is important to put on record the additional work that is being done. The closure of 11 wards in a hospital puts tremendous pressures on staff and patients. I pay tribute to those who have undertaken the work involved.