Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the suite of measures that the Government has introduced but it is clear that it is not sufficient or appropriate for St. Vincent's hospital. The Minister of State referred to 22 acute beds being opened in the past 18 months in St. Vincent's, which is welcome but it does not take into account the extraordinary increase in demand for services at the hospital and the necessity for the Government to ensure that it increases the hospital's capacity.

There are a couple of other points about St. Vincent's that are worthwhile noting. More than 1,000 of people over the age of 75 endured a wait of more than 24 hours in the hospital's emergency department before a decision was taken to admit them. That is not helped by the fact that 11,950 bed days were lost at the hospital owing to heavily delayed discharges. It is important to recognise that there must be an increase in step-down bed capacity at the hospital and throughout south Dublin to deal with capacity. Will the Minister of State do more in respect of St. Vincent's hospital to ensure that the increase in demand is met with an increase in capacity?

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