Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy is well aware, the announcement on budgetary matters will be made in due course, namely, on 10 October, and no decisions will be indicated until that point.

As a result of the re-investment the Government has made in the health service, the number of patients being treated across the system increased by 250,000 per annum in the past four years. This means almost 7,000 patients are treated in hospital every day and most return home with their life prospects considerably improved as a result of their treatment. We are, therefore, delivering a quality health service.

As the Deputy knows, problems at certain access points have been in the system for many years. It is encouraging, however, that trolley waiting, the very issue the Deputy raises, has reduced considerably across a range of hospitals, including Beaumont, St. Vincent's, James Connolly and Mayo university hospitals. The reductions in trolley waiting in these hospitals range from 40% to 68%. These significant improvements show that the Government's focus on trolley waiting is having an impact. This year, numbers waiting on trolleys across the board are lower than they were last year. The exemplars of good practice show that the policy of focusing on trolley waiting is working. We must continue to roll out this policy and there must be a clear focus on ensuring vulnerable people who enter hospitals through accident and emergency departments are given priority in the hospital service. As I stated, this is happening in many hospitals.

In terms of provision for people to live in at home, we are assessing the need for a more comprehensive home care support package. The Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, is examining this issue and consultations are under way to determine how best this can be achieved. The Minister for Health has made increased provision for home help and home care packages. According to a report in yesterday's newspapers, he reported a 10% increase in activity in these areas. Investment is being made all the time to try to make the experience of our hospitals better for every patient.

It is worth paying tribute to those who work in the health service and successfully treat 7,000 people every day, either as inpatients or day cases. This is having an impact on quality of life. While we have problems at discharge and admission, these must be resolved over time.

The Minister will obviously make investment plans for the future. We have the first investments in a new maternity hospital, a new children's hospital and a new hospital providing forensic psychiatric care. These are real investments that will improve quality of life.

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