James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

The reliance on agency staff has been reduced considerably by the increased use of non-consultant hospital doctors.

Waterford Regional Hospital is working with the National Treatment Purchase Fund and the special delivery unit to focus on the strict chronological management of patients. It successfully reached a 12 month maximum waiting time at the end of 2011 and it is making reasonable progress this year. Like many hospitals, it will need to redouble its efforts between now and the end of March to maintain the 12 month maximum and avoid triggering the penalty mechanism but it is expected to meet its target. It is doing very well in regard to trolleys. The trolley count yesterday morning was six, with no long waits.

Unlike many other hospitals, it does not incur significant expenditure on agency nurses. Between December 2010 and December 2011 medical and dental staffing increased by 15 whole time equivalents. Nursing staff has decreased by 14, or 1.84%, which is below the national average.

I recognise it faces challenges but hospital management are on top of the situation and I expect it to deliver on its targets of ensuring that, by the end of the year, nobody will have waited longer than nine months for inpatient surgery and, from May onwards, anybody who attends its emergency department will not be waiting longer than nine hours before leaving for home or a ward. For 95% of people the figure will be six hours.

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