Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

The HSE has made considerable progress in improving the delivery of services in emergency departments. The vast majority of hospitals are now fully or substantially compliant with the 12-hour target for those requiring admission. The Health Service Executive introduced this target in October last year. Patient waits of longer than 24 hours, following a decision to admit, have been totally eliminated in 21 of the 34 hospitals concerned, while a further eight have infrequent waits of that duration. The HSE will continue to work closely with all hospitals to maintain their improvements and to address the remaining problems, which are largely confined to a small number of hospitals.

I have also asked the HSE to set a revised maximum waiting time target of no more than six hours from registration to admission or discharge in 2009 for all patients attending emergency departments and to introduce a measurement system in 2009 to record the total waiting time for all such patients. The HSE has committed to introducing those measures in its 2009 national service plan.

By the end of this year, 279 additional long-stay beds will have been made available to patients under the fast-track initiative. A further 503 new long-stay beds will be provided under the initiative next year. In addition, in early 2009, the HSE will provide 245 additional contract beds to alleviate delayed discharges pressure on the acute hospital system.

During 2009, the HSE will review the existing arrangements whereby 11 hospitals in Dublin and three in Cork operate emergency departments 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The review will consider whether it is necessary to maintain full emergency department services in each hospital beyond the peak hours of operation and whether that represents the best use of resources. The HSE will also continue the work which is under way in reviewing the configuration of hospital services, including emergency department services, in the north east, mid-west and southern regions. That will include a review of the operation of emergency department services in hospitals with low volumes of activity in order to ensure that such services are configured in a way that optimises clinical outcomes for patients.

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