Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

One of the most pressing projects in County Mayo is the long-awaited extension to the emergency department, ED, at Mayo University Hospital. The ED was initially built to cater for 20,000 patients. It now sees more than 40,000 annually, and that number is growing. An extension to the unit has been promised for the people of Mayo for the past ten years.

Following a recent HIQA inspection in August 2022 at Mayo University Hospital, long-term action to address the shortcomings in national standards to protect service-users from the risks of harm associated with the design and delivery of healthcare will not be taken until 2025, with a new accident and emergency department and an advanced medical assessment unit planned. I ask that the HSE and Department of Health work together to see how we can fast-track these type of projects on an accelerated programme in order to protect people’s lives, improve outcomes and deliver healthcare in a modern and fit-for-purpose facility.

See this speech in context