Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government regards trolley waits of over nine hours as unacceptable. I acknowledge the difficulties the current surge in emergency department activity is causing for patients, their families and the staff who are doing their utmost to provide safe, quality care in what are very challenging circumstances. All hospitals have escalation plans to manage not only patient flow but also patient safety in a responsive, controlled and planned way that supports and ensures the delivery of optimum patient care. These plans include the opening of additional overflow areas, the reopening of closed beds, additional diagnostic scans and consultants doing additional ward rounds to improve and speed up the appropriate flow of patients through hospitals.

The Government has provided additional funding of €3 million in 2014 and €25 million in 2015 to address the issue of delayed discharges. Actions being taken include the provision of about 400 additional home care packages, additional transition beds in nursing homes, 300 additional fair deal places and an extension of community intervention teams. In addition, Mount Carmel Hospital will reopen later in the spring and provide important relief for Dublin hospitals.

Last month I convened the emergency department task force to help to develop long-term solutions to the problem of overcrowding by providing for an additional focus and momentum in dealing with challenges presented by trolley waits. Following a second meeting last week, the HSE is working on an action plan to be finalised by the end of the month to specifically address emergency department issues with a view to achieving a significant reduction in trolley waits over the course of 2015.

The number of patients on trolleys this morning is 357. They includes patients on trolleys in wards but do not include patients in day wards. Of these, 169 have been on trolleys for more than nine hours. However, we do expect the number to fall below 200 by the end of the day. As the Deputy knows, patients are not discharged overnight; therefore, the figure is always higher in the morning. As patients are discharged during the day, the numbers fall. We, therefore, expect that there will be fewer than 200 by the end of the day, but then, of course, the number will rise again overnight.

There are significant variations from Mullingar, Kilkenny, Cavan to Kerry where there is no one on a trolley to as many as 24 being on trolleys for more than nine hours in Beaumont Hospital. I will be happy to answer any further question the Deputy may have.

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