Taoiseach admits Mallow report informed Roscommon hospital decision

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has today admitted that the decision to downgrade services at Roscommon hospital was made on the basis of a report into Mallow hospital.

His admission comes after it emerged that HIQA never carried out a stand-alone examination of the Roscommon hospital, and its inspectors had never stepped foot in it.

The Government shut the Accident & Emergency Department at Roscommon with the assertion HIQA had decided it was unsafe for it to remain open.

In the Dáil this afternoon, Mr Kenny admitted the decision was based on the fact that what was unsafe at Mallow hospital would also be unsafe elsewhere.

"The Mallow report made it very clear that a 24/7 Emergency Department services should only be maintained in hospitals where they have a full range of clinical resuscitation and diagnostic services on site, with full-time clinical decision-makers on site," he said.