James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to outline a proposal that could be used to alleviate overcrowding in the midlands. According to trolley watch yesterday, the Midland Regional Hospital in Mullingar had three individuals on trolleys in the emergency department and a further nine in wards. I have been informed the three individuals in the emergency department were there from 8 a.m. and were cleared by lunchtime. Since Christmas, I have visited the Midland Regional Hospital on three different occasions and I am delighted to see work has now commenced on the new accident and emergency unit in Mullingar, costing €6 million.

The reality our hospitals face is clear. There are a number of patients in hospital beds who need that extra week of rehabilitation or respite and these patients should be transferred to step-down clinics before returning home to their loved ones. St. Joseph's care centre in Longford is a fine example of a care facility that could be more fully utilised. St. Joseph's is located outside Longford town and it is a prime location, right in the heart of the midlands. The standard of care and the quality of staff is excellent. All of its facilities have been purpose-built for care, but currently a considerable percentage of the wards on the campus are being used for storage and office space. The facility already has a GP out-of-hours service and several other services. If this facility were to become a step-down clinic, it would undoubtedly free up a large number of acute beds in the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar.

Using St. Joseph’s as a full-time set-down clinic has been proposed several times over the years and most recently at yesterday’s meeting of Longford County Council. I urge the HSE’s midlands regional manager to urgently take up this proposal, which I have been making for some time-----

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