Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

When I responded to the Deputy's matter, I told him the factual position. The patient concerned was in an emergency department for five days and during that period was discovered to have TB. The appropriate action was taken at that point in terms of isolation and treatment.

I said at the end of my reply that the fact that anybody is on a trolley for five days is not acceptable. That is why this Government is setting about introducing fundamental reforms to the health service. It is an absolute priority of both parties in government to bring about that reform. They are the political choices that this Government is making. We are setting about a root and branch reform of the health service and considerable work has been done to date. It is one of the reasons we are committed to introducing a single tier health system because it is not a question of tinkering at the edges with the existing health system. The issues are much more complex than simply being about funding. The whole system needs to be changed and we are determined to do that. That is set out clearly in the programme for Government which commits to introducing a single tier health system based on providing care on the basis of a person's need rather than on his or her ability to pay. That will happen as soon as possible. We are introducing an insurance-based health system. We are doing that as soon as possible and in the short term we are introducing significant reforms in the primary case area.

In addition to that, very soon after being appointed, the Minister established the special delivery unit, SDU, whose job is to act as a hit squad, as it were, to target those hospitals where there are difficulties, where systems are not properly functioning, to enable them to deal with the kinds of demands that they have. That work by the SDU is well under way. It has examined a number of hospitals and identified 15 that provide unscheduled care and those hospitals that need urgent support from the SDU. Among those hospitals are eight that currently account for approximately 60% of the trolley count. Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital is one of those eight hospitals. Those hospitals have been identified as needing urgent and high level support from the SDU. The eight hospitals have recently been asked for proposals setting out measures that could be taken quickly in the hospital and-or in a closely related community setting which would significantly relieve pressure on the emergency department by, for example, addressing delayed discharges and having step-down beds. Proposals relating to seven of the hospitals or associated community services have just been received and will need to be given very detailed consideration by the SDU. These proposals from the seven hospitals include proposals from Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and the SDU is examining those urgently with a view to implementing them very quickly.

A good deal of action is being taken. The Government is committed to longer-term reform and that work is well under way and in the shorter term the SDU is addressing the current logjams that exist in many of our hospital emergency departments. The proposals have just been received from Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and they will responded to very quickly. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue.

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