James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Nash for raising this issue. Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, experienced an unusually high level of presentations at its emergency department on Monday and Tuesday of this week, which placed services under severe pressure. The situation was exacerbated this week by the fact that over 57% of the inpatient beds in the hospital have been occupied by elderly patients who generally require more complex care or who may be waiting for community or nursing home services to facilitate their discharge from acute hospital care. In this regard, all available private nursing home capacity is being utilised and it is intended that a further 15 beds will be opened in Louth County Hospital. In response to the pressures experienced earlier this week, a full escalation protocol was engaged within the hospital, and other hospitals within the area were notified and assistance requested.

The overall aim of an escalation protocol is to ensure each hospital with an emergency department has a fit for purpose operational framework to respond to surge pressures. The hospitals must manage admissions, discharges and escalation - surge capacity - procedures in a responsive, controlled and planned way that supports and ensures the delivery of optimum patient care. It is important that escalation measures are undertaken across the full health system, including primary, community and continuing care services, to ensure all available capacity and options are utilised and brought to bear on the situation.

In response to the surge experienced in Drogheda, all non-urgent meetings and training sessions were cancelled to ensure availability of staff, including diagnostic teams - for example, radiology and laboratory - and allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, to focus on managing that surge. All emergency department requests were expedited to allow everyone to focus on the emergency department response. Elective endoscopy was cancelled or diverted, thus making six beds available to emergency department admissions. This will remain the case for the rest of this week and next. Cancelled procedures are being redirected to Louth County Hospital to ensure patients are accommodated. Non-urgent and non-cancer related elective activity is also cancelled at present. In addition, use of the minor injuries unit and GP services are being actively promoted for appropriate patients.

Unusual pressures such as these are disappointing for the Department, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and the HSE's special delivery unit, but much more so for the patients and their families for whom these delays add discomfort and further distress. However, as a result of the efforts of the staff and management of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, the number of patients awaiting admission has reduced significantly, from 45 at 8 a.m. yesterday to 15 at 8 a.m. this morning. I take this opportunity to join Deputy Nash in commending the hospital staff on their efforts.

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