Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to clarify that I certainly did not blame patients, staff, the system or the weather but the facts are there. I know Opposition Deputies are not always interested in engaging with the facts. Soundbites and headlines make up easier discourse in which to engage but the facts are there. There are underlying challenges and I was merely outlining those challenges and the steps that are being taken to deal with them. A total of €100 million was put into the winter initiative this year. This is a fairly significant investment by any standards. It was designed and designated merely for access measures made up of €40 million for winter measures, €10 million for waiting list measures and a further €50 million for the NTPF for waiting list initiatives. This is not small change by any standards. A total of 189 additional beds have been opened this winter. Clearly, it is not enough but we are not going to open 721 beds. One does not open beds based on the number of people waiting on trolleys on any one day. We need a review and to look at capacity and where the pinch points are. It is not just a case of clicking one's fingers and opening beds so, of course, the HSE has a job of work to do to identify the issues. That is how systems are run and that is how an organisation like the HSE has to perform. It has to produce a report and carry out analysis. A total of 189 additional beds have been opened this winter. The Deputies opposite may not wish to hear this but some very significant steps are being taken towards alleviating the winter pressures. I had no difficulty in acknowledging that there was an 11.8% increase in the number of people waiting on trolleys this February compared to last year so we have no issue with accepting and acknowledging the challenges and there is no desire to hide from them. Of the 189 beds, 22 new beds have been opened in St. Vincent's University Hospital, 25 have been opened in Drogheda and 17 in University Hospital Limerick. These are new beds that have been opened this winter. This winter, 28 new beds have opened in University Hospital Galway, 19 in University Hospital Waterford, 20 in Beaumont Hospital, 23 in St. James's Hospital in Dublin, 24 in the Mater hospital and 11 in Naas General Hospital.

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