Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In any event, the Deputy's comments about primary care centres are in the context of a full programme of primary care centres being provided throughout the country. The theory is that people will be able to go to primary care centres to have medical needs which do not require treatment in accident and emergency departments dealt with and that this will help to reduce overcrowding in accident and emergency departments. When primary care centres are up and running they are required to be staffed and to have GPs available. There is little point in building them if they are going to be closed at 5 p.m.. The theory is that a person should be able to go to a primary care centre on a 24-hour basis, as is the case in so many other countries. This issue forms part of the discussions which the Minister for Health is having with the GPs in terms of their contracts and the types of facilities that they require in primary care centres.

According to the HSE TrolleyGAR system this morning, there were 331 patients on trolleys in acute hospitals nationally. While this causes distress to patients, their families and to front-line services, the recent data indicates that the national situation is improving, with approximately 5% fewer patients waiting on trolleys at the end of April this year as compared with the same period last year. Notwithstanding this improvement, these figures are still too high and the Department is working assiduously with the HSE to identify measures to reduce overcrowding in our hospitals and to provide key improvement measures that will continue to reduce trolley numbers and improve patient experience. Several hospitals were under pressure this morning, including the Mater Hospital, Beaumont Hospital, St. Luke's General Hospital, Kilkenny, Letterkenny General Hospital and University Hospital Waterford. Lessons have been learned over the last number of years. The winter initiative introduced in an effort to reduce emergency department overcrowding, in respect of which an additional €40 million was provided, brought about an improvement. Lessons have been learned from that and will be implemented into the future. A range of practical measures were included in that initiative, including: the provision of 90 additional beds; aids and appliances for approximately 5,000 patients; 1,000 additional home care packages; and 615 additional transitional care bed approvals.

In regard to the particular issue raised by Deputy Mattie McGrath, I will ask the Minister to follow up on the matter for him.

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