Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is a higher level of delayed discharges than there was this time last year. I realise it is hard to recruit senior decision-making doctors in some hospitals, and that junior doctors are less experienced when making decisions. What are Mr. O'Brien's plans to deal with this problem of delayed discharges when he has already allocated 300 additional fair deal places and 400 additional home care packages?

The HSE and the Department are working on getting another 200 beds open across the State in the next two weeks. Where is this happening? I believe 500 transitional and community beds have been opened or re-funded. What are their locations and what funding was given?

I also welcome the news this morning about the 88 nurses and 25 beds in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. Can Mr. O'Brien give me the plans to deal with the serious overcrowding in accident and emergency units and the trolley situation in the Lourdes hospital in Drogheda, which is one of the worst in the country? Has the HSE got a strategy in place to raise awareness of number of clinics currently available in Louth County Hospital? As far as I and people in the area are concerned, there are still too many people visiting the accident and emergency unit in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital when they could have gone to the minor injuries unit at Louth County Hospital. I have met with the manager of Louth County Hospital, Louise O'Hare, and with Louth County Council. We are trying to put up signs on both hospital sites, stating what is available and the opening hours, and hopefully that will help.

At the last meeting, we talked about enhancing the services of Louth County Hospital, including the policy on ambulances, extending opening hours, etc. Has there been any progress made on these matters since the last meeting?

I agree with the Minister of State that a medical card is a point of access to medical care. In his report today, Mr. O'Brien stated that he has appointed a manager, which I welcome. Nearly every query I have in my clinic at the moment is to do with discretionary medical cards. We need something done urgently over the medical cards.