Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the short term, one of the issues we are looking at is exactly the point the Deputy has raised. The injury units are superb. Many people who are walking into emergency departments could be seen quicker in an injury unit. We are considering whether the injury units can be opened for longer. Can they see more people? There are age limits on many of the injury units. Is everybody in the community aware of exactly the kind of injuries for which one would attend an injury unit? For example, there is a brilliant injury unit in Smithfield in Dublin but not that many people know about it. We need to have much more comprehensive engagement and communication. We are also looking, in the medium and long term, to build out the permanent capacity in the step-down facilities in the community.

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