Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his detailed response. I am aware that the numbers awaiting admission have reduced dramatically in the past 24 hours. It is due to the work of nursing staff, doctors and hospital management that these serious inroads are being made. Earlier today I contacted the INMO to arrange a meeting to discuss this problem, which concerns the wider community in Drogheda, County Louth and the east Meath area. It is an issue we must address.

When the special delivery unit got stuck into this issue of trolley waits at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital a couple of years ago, we began to see significant year-on-year reductions. In fact, the trolley figures have more than halved since the Government came into office, from 7,500 in 2011 to 3,212 in 2013. That dramatic reduction represents serious progress in addressing the problem. It is all well and good, however, for the Minister or me to point to that progress. The reality is that ill people being made to wait on trolleys for admission to a bed in this or any other hospital in the country is a situation people are not prepared to tolerate. It is time to tackle this issue in conjunction with the SDU. The response by the SDU to the crisis previously was excellent, progressive and effective.

In an ideal situation, nobody would be waiting on trolleys, and there is no doubt that some of the reforms led by hospital staff and the Department have worked. What it boils down to, however, is that where blockages arise in regard to the fair deal scheme and home care packages, they must be addressed without delay. The underlying problem is the high numbers of elderly patients stuck in acute beds when that is not necessarily the right place for them. The only way we can address this problem locally is by ensuring the HSE's proposal to develop a 100-bed unit at the site of St. Mary's Hospital on the Dublin Road in Drogheda is delivered. It is a proposal I support, as does the Minister of State, Deputy Fergus O'Dowd. I hope the Minister will take on board our representations in this regard.

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