Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this question. Under the winter initiative, over 200 additional beds opened this winter across a range of sites, including critical care beds in Cork University Hospital, CUH. A further 30 acute medical beds are scheduled to open later this year in CUH, including two more critical care beds. In addition, CUH has been supported over the recent winter months with additional home support packages and transitional care beds to reduce delayed discharges which affect patient flow and can have an impact on congestion in emergency departments. I welcome the opening of an additional 30 acute medical beds in CUH later this year, along with two more critical care beds. In line with CUH's particular focus on addressing patient flow, it initiated a project in 2017 to improve patient flow and the patient experience. In pointing out that this project, which has continued into 2018, is having a positive impact on trolley performance, I do not mean in any way to detract from the Deputy's point about the difficulties experienced by patients, family members and staff when individuals have to spend long periods on trolleys. However, I have to show respect to the staff, and the patient flow project they have put in place in CUH, by acknowledging that in the first four months of this year, CUH had 15.3% fewer trolleys than it had in the same period in 2017. This reduction was achieved even though patient attendances at CUH's accident and emergency department increased by over 1,000, or approximately 7.8%.

Although the overall situation remains very challenging - we have much more to do - I welcome the reduction in trolley numbers that has been achieved by CUH so far this year. The local initiatives that have been put in place in CUH to improve accident and emergency department performance appear to be having a positive impact. I am in direct touch with some people in the hospital. I get updates on the patient flow project from the clinical director in CUH. I assure the House that as Minister for Health, I am committed to continuing the effort to address overcrowding in our emergency departments. I am particularly focused on the capacity of our system. The decision that was made in previous years to reduce the number of hospital beds in the Irish health service makes no sense to me. As Deputies will be aware, I have received the go-ahead to increase the number of acute hospital beds by over 2,500. I am looking at opportunities to try to front-load those beds. I will be asking each of the hospital groups, including the South/South West hospital group, to identify how many additional beds it requires. I am sure Cork will benefit from that.

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