Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I agree the new emergency department in Limerick looks great but, unfortunately, the concerns we raised before it opened have come to pass. Huge numbers of people are waiting on trolleys and for unnecessary durations of time. My fear is that I will be in the House again next year highlighting the same problems in that hospital. The Minister, Deputy Harris, brought a bed capacity review to the Cabinet today. However, we do not need any more reviews, studies or investigations. What is needed in UHL is more money, extra beds and more staff today, not ten years hence, to accommodate the number of patients presenting at the hospital.

The Minister of State might be aware that the interns and non-consultant hospital doctors, NCHDs, are to ballot on industrial action in the hospital next week. We do not know when the 96-bed extension will be up and running. It will alleviate the problems but it is years late. There is no point in constantly talking about it. If the work begins immediately it will be years before there are extra beds for patients in the hospital. Has the funding for the 96-bed extension been allocated? It has been talked about for a long time but when will it be built? Obviously, if the Minister, Deputy Harris, were present he might be able to answer that question but perhaps the Minister of State will relay my concern to him. What interim measures are being put in place to bring down the hospital trolley count or will the Minister just sit back and hope that the influenza passes, which will bring down the numbers?

The main question in this Topical Issue, however, is: what measures will be introduced to stop the use of the full capacity protocol? Does the Minister think that using the full capacity protocol - having extra trolleys in the hospital every day in 2017 and every day so far in 2018 - is safe and does he stand over the fact that it is happening? Will he confirm if any additional staff will be assigned to deal with the outpatient waiting list, which has grown by more than 6,000 in a year? These problems are massive and urgent. They require comprehensive solutions. If the Minister cannot provide them he should consider why he is in office.

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