Mr. Damien McCallion:

In terms of delayed transfers of care, which are one of the key indicators for the community, Limerick hospital has one of the lowest numbers, which Deputy Shortall referred to earlier. In that sense, it is part of a hospital system that performs well.

We work with all the sites with a view to improvement in that regard but there is a system-wide issue, as the Deputy will appreciate. The emergency department is a manifestation of the issues both outside and inside the hospital. As an area, Limerick is currently one of the best performing in terms of delayed transfers of care and keeping the hospital moving, and part of that is linked to the network of model 2 hospitals in some community services.