Sinn Fein TD for Waterford David Cullinane has said a draft report outlining matters pertaining to cardiac services at UHW  "could represent a significant step forward."

WLR has obtained documents from the National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services.

When completed and if accepted by Cabinet, it will replace The Herity Report, which Deputy Cullinane deemed "a disaster for Waterford," as it advocated the shutting of all primary PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) services at UHW.

The new report, when published in full, is expected to call for four highly specialised cardiac centres at hospitals in Cork, Galway and Dublin, with the recommendation that other hospitals. including UHW, will have their cardiac centres strengthened.

However, the report is expected to fall short of recommending that emergency cardiac care at UHW is extended to a 24 / 7 service, something that's of huge importance to people in Waterford.

However, David Cullinane cautiously welcomes the report, saying "it makes it very clear that Waterford services are at least protected, but it also says they should be strengthened," Deputy Cullinane told Damien on Déise Today.

He added that "the Herity Report was essentially saying that Waterford should not provide any emergency services and that all emergency care should happen in Cork. So the fact that we now have a draft document which seems to suggest that services will be strengthened in Waterford, I think could represent a signficant step forward."

Currently, Waterford has emergency cardiac care services from 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday. These hours were to extend to 8am to 8pm in March, but that has not happened yet, but there is a commitment to extend the hours from 8am to 8pm seven days a week.

You can listen in full to David Cullinane's conversation with Damien, through the link in this podcast.

For all Déise Today podcasts, click here.