Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Deputy's ongoing advocacy for Ennis Hospital to improve resources and, ultimately, services for his constituents. The medical assessment unit, MAU, pathway for 999 patients was introduced in Ennis Hospital on 9 January and Nenagh Hospital on 7 February. This pathway allows patients who meet agreed clinical criteria to be transported to an MAU rather than an emergency department. It is resulting in patients in the mid-west receiving treatment in a hospital closer to home. It is ensuring that patients can receive less complex care without the need to attend an emergency department. The aim is to reduce patient presentations primarily, in this case, at University Hospital Limerick, UHL, and release ambulances more quickly to respond to other calls.

The HSE has advised me that, to date, 72 patients have been referred to Ennis and Nenagh hospitals via this pathway, which is already helping to reduce emergency department presentations at UHL. The MAU at Ennis Hospital continues to operate seven days a week and the MAUs at St. John’s and Nenagh hospitals are also now operating seven days a week. Recruitment is in progress in the MAUs nationally for an additional 51 staff, who will be whole-time equivalents, WTEs, across a range of specialties. As these staff take up their posts, the number of assessment slots available for patients will increase. Once all staff are in post, the effect of this investment will be the creation of an estimated just over 7,000 additional assessment slots per year across the three MAUs in University Limerick Hospitals Group.

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