Dr. Colm Henry:

On the medical assessment units, there are three accumulatively that are quite busy, accounting for 15,000 visits in 2023, which was up by 18% from the previous year. Ennis MAU is open seven days per week and a commitment has been announced to expand it to 24-7. I spoke to the clinical executive leadership of the group and it plans to do this incrementally. There are staffing implications to address in order to make sure the MAU is fully staffed and resourced. I referred to the categorisation of patients according to triage. University Hospital Limerick's ED has 90% of cases in the highest three categories. The medical assessment units treat patients at the other end of the categories. Patients in those categories are much less likely to present late at night or after midnight. Under the incremental approach, the MAU will open until midnight later this year. This will address the patients at greatest risk who otherwise should have gone to the MAUs and end up in the emergency departments. This is because of the considerable fall in the number of such patients in those categories presenting overnight.