Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

We are also supporting the HSE's comprehensive flu vaccination campaign. We are providing step-down facilities for immediate care. To date 562 people have moved out of hospitals. The HSE provides 48 high-dependency long-term beds for the more severely ill. We are also putting in place an out-of-hours GP service and as I said previously, we have opened a new accident and emergency unit in St. Vincent's Hospital, the accident and emergency development and extension to St. James's Hospital is almost complete and a new accident and emergency admissions unit opened at the Mater Hospital in December, a 33-bed overflow unit. It closed last week because of the winter vomiting bug but has now re-opened.

I have had lengthy meetings on this issue with HSE personnel. They tell me that in Dublin hospitals, admissions to accident and emergency units have increased by about 20%, admissions of older people have increased substantially and twice as many people presented with influenza in the past six weeks compared to this time last year, because of the colder weather. Winter vomiting has been a feature every year.

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