Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this opportunity to provide assurance to the House regarding the continued operation of the Ennis MAU. I thank Deputy Carey for tabling this Topical Issue matter and providing me with a chance to allay any concerns in Ennis or County Clare regarding the continued operation of the MAU. I also acknowledge the presence of Deputy Harty, Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Health, in the House.

Ennis Hospital is a constituent hospital of the University Limerick hospital group. As such, it plays an important role in meeting the health care needs of the population of the mid-west. The smaller hospitals framework, published in 2013, outlines the need for smaller hospitals and larger hospitals to work together in hospital groups.

The MAU in Ennis Hospital operates Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Patients are referred there for medical assessment by their GP or by Shannondoc via the Bed Bureau. The service is consultant-led and facilitates the immediate assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients presenting with medical conditions such as chest infections, urinary tract infections, fainting episodes, anaemia or non-acute cardiac problems. The Ennis MAU opened in 2013. In May 2016, it became the first of the four MAUs within the University Limerick hospital group to operate on a seven-day basis. The numbers of patients attending for medical assessment has increased over the past year, with between 15 to 25 patients assessed daily.

The hospital group chief executive officer, to whom I have spoken directly on this issue, has advised the current concern surrounding the future of the seven-day service does not arise from any top-down initiative or proposal from the University Limerick hospital group. I have also been assured by the Department and the HSE that, not only has no such decision been made, there is no such proposal from group management.

Deputy Carey will appreciate the executive and clinical directors are required to visit all hospitals in the group to review and discuss service delivery as per normal oversight arrangements and in line with good management practice. It is important that senior management and clinical directors would visit smaller hospitals to check data, assess how they are doing and look at the metrics.

In that context, I understand that last week the chief clinical director and clinical director for medicine met the team at Ennis Hospital and many issues, including the MAU, were discussed. The chief clinical director and clinical director for medicine sought data on the weekend usage of the Ennis MAU. This information will allow the executive to assess the impact and effectiveness of the MAU and inform how best the service can be optimised in the interests of the people of Clare. Ennis Hospital is integral to the proper functioning of the University Limerick hospital group. A properly functioning MAU and injury unit are essential to help minimise unnecessary presentations to the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick in Dooradoyle.

University Limerick hospital group continues to identify opportunities to increase activity in Ennis Hospital. It is examining proposals to increase vascular and plastic surgery at the hospital. The national patient experience survey carried out in May 2017 found that 88% of all inpatients in Ennis were happy or very happy with their overall experience. This is a tremendous tribute to the staff and management at Ennis Hospital and the care they provide. The programme for Government commits to extending opening hours of MAUs. If anything, I want to see Ennis Hospital do more, as does the University Limerick hospital group. We will look at other opportunities to do so. There is no proposal from the University Limerick hospital group, the HSE or the Department to reduce the opening hours of Ennis MAU.

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