Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. The question she submitted was to discuss the provision of an injury clinic in Carlow. I do not have the details on primary care centres into Tullow and other areas the Deputy mentioned. When I read her question while preparing to come to the House to discuss the provision of an injury clinic in Carlow, I realised I would also discuss the provision of an injury clinic in Dungarvan, County Waterford. We are all trying to facilitate things in our areas. I thank the Deputy for her constant advocacy for improved health services.

The national emergency medicine programme model of care recognises the need to support the development of injury units. These units provide care locally in cases where injuries are unlikely to require hospital admission. I am pleased that 15 local injury units are open around the country, each one providing an important service to their local communities. The Deputy is quite right; these units take huge pressure off emergency departments. They also play an important role in reducing the waiting times for patients in emergency departments throughout the country.

The services provided at injury units are held in high esteem by patients. This is evident by the large and growing demand for these services. Approximately 140,000 patients attended injury units in 2022, an increase of more than 30% since 2019. This represents approximately 7% of all urgent and emergency activity in Ireland.

I can advise the Deputy that the HSE has carried out a review of injury units. The review aimed to identify areas of best practice that could be rolled out across the country. The scope of this review included the review of 13 injury units nationally, as well as areas having the most potential need for additional injury units. The review considered the activity, operations and governance of these units. The HSE has advised that the review makes a number of recommendations to improve existing services at local injury units as well as outlining options for future developments. These recommendations are broadly based on two themes: the need to standardise existing services and to identify options for the future development of local injury units in the medium to long term.

All recommendations will, of course, also be subject to resource and other considerations, including alignment with the urgent and emergency care plan being developed by the HSE. I am advised that these recommendations are currently under review by the HSE and it is expected that this will inform the development of an implementation plan.

I visited the injury clinic in Bantry General Hospital about 12 months ago. I was impressed by the facility, which means that people living in that part of the country, that is, west Cork, do not have to go to the emergency department in Cork city or other hospitals such as CUH, Mercy and others. That makes a huge difference to people. I will make inquiries as to when we will see the results of the review because we have 15 local injury units that are very successful and work very well. If we could roll out more of them across the country, it would take huge pressure off our emergency departments.

See this speech in context