Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising this issue and for giving me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Health, to outline to the House the current position on the matter. The HSE has advised that Naas General Hospital has experienced additional pressures this year with a 14% increase in emergency admissions in the year to date. Moreover, it has advised that there has been a 45% increase in the number of patients on trolleys since this time last year at the hospital. Naas General Hospital has also been obliged a number of times during the year to implement the full capacity protocol, which involves placing additional patients on trolleys to ward areas. I have been assured by the HSE that when Naas General Hospital experiences overcrowding in its emergency department, every effort is made to admit patients to inpatient beds based on clinical needs as soon as possible. The hospital has in place appropriate escalation policies and monitors its activities continuously. A number of measures have been taken to address the demand. The hospital currently has 30 additional beds open, which have remained open all year, and has additional beds open in the acute medical assessment unit and day ward to meet the demand from the emergency department. Moreover, from what the Deputies have indicated, this demand clearly exists.

Notwithstanding current pressures, when compared with the baseline year of 2011, there have been 1,717 fewer patients on trolleys in the year to date in Naas in 2014. As for resources, the hospital's budget allocation for 2014 is €53.196 million with a staff of 637 whole-time equivalents. The hospital has appointed 26 staff nurses this year, 14 of whom were appointed as replacement posts and 12 as new posts. Furthermore, the HSE's national recruitment service currently is in the process of appointing a further eight nursing posts, of which six are replacement posts and two are new posts. I am assured by the HSE that the hospital will continue to engage with the HSE's national acute services and social care divisions to take advantage of additional capacity initiatives to relieve pressure on the hospital throughout the winter season.

The Deputies also will be aware that Naas General Hospital is part of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group, which includes St. James's Hospital, Tallaght hospital, Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore, Midlands Regional Hospital, Portlaoise and the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital. I am confident there will be a structured integration of Naas hospital into the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group in 2015 and this will provide support for Naas hospital in managing demand and delivering high-quality and safe patient care in a cost-effective manner. However, I accept fully that when one has such numbers of replacement posts and additional posts as I read out, it is clear there has been great demand on this hospital and it did not have the requisite number of posts it needed to manage that demand. I hope the additional posts, both replacement and new, will alleviate some of this pressure because I know how beneficial it is to have a hospital within one's own area.

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