Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy's comments on out-of-hours GP services. As part of winter planning and in the spirit of doing everything we can to help keep people out of hospitals, specifically emergency departments, that is an area that we are examining.

The next parliamentary question deals with chronic disease management in the community.

I disagree with the Deputy that not a lot is being done. A significant amount of work is being done and there has been a lot of progress in that area, which we will get into in more detail in regard to the next question.

By the end of this year, we will have added to the acute system more beds than have been added in any year on record and we will have done that in the middle of a pandemic. I am working with the HSE on some of the local issues. I am aware that there are clinicians in CUH, GUH, UHL and other hospitals who are saying that we need more beds and more capacity. That is true. There are a number of capital applications in, but it needs to be appreciated that we have already added to the acute system more beds than have ever been added in any year on record. We need to continue to push forward in that regard.

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