Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With regard to emergency departments, I am sorry I do not have the figures for Cavan. However, last year we moved to an all-year-round approach to urgent and emergency care to get away from this annual cycle of winter plans. To the great credit of our healthcare professionals, we have seen a very important reduction. I am not for a moment diminishing the fact that the numbers are still way too high and some emergency departments in some hospitals are under huge pressure. Approximately seven hospitals account for about half the number of patients on trolleys. I am sorry that I do not have the Cavan figures to hand but our healthcare workers achieved a 22% reduction in the number of patients on trolleys for the second half of last year versus the previous year. For those most at risk, namely, the over-75s who are in emergency departments for more than a day, the number has fallen by nearly 40%. We are by no means where we want to end up but, thanks to important work, things are getting better. I will ask the Department to revert to the Deputy with a note on the figures for Cavan emergency department.

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