Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for again raising this issue. As we know, University Hospital Limerick is currently caring for an exceptionally high number of unwell medical patients in the hospital. The emergency department has seen its highest week of emergency presentations since the beginning of this year. UHL is currently at its highest state of escalation. Surge capacity has been opened there and across other hospitals. Scheduled activity across all sites was deferred and will remain under review, with only urgent, critical and time-critical patients, including cancer patients, going ahead. The emergency department remains open 24-7 and urgent care is being delivered to those who need it most. However, people presenting at the ED who are not suffering with life-threatening or severe illness or injury will face a significant wait.

As the Deputy said, the Government is stepping in. It has invested significantly in University Hospital Limerick and will continue to do so. Staffing at the hospital has grown by more than 1,000 since the end of December 2019, from 2,814 to 3,854 at the end of November last year. That represents a 37% increase in staffing in that period. It includes an extra 146 doctors, 45 more consultants, 348 more nurses and midwives, as well as 84 more health and social care professionals. We will continue to invest as much as is necessary. In 2019, UHL had a budget of €265 million. In 2023, that budget was €383 million, meaning its budget has grown by €118 million over that period. That is a badly needed increase of 45% in just four years. As the Deputy referenced yesterday, we are also investing in bed capacity at UHL, which is badly needed. Some 150 additional beds have been opened in the University Limerick Hospitals Group, ULHG, since 2020 and 98 of those beds are in UHL. We are seeing another 96 beds being progressed, which will open early next year. Towards the end of next year, a further 96 beds will be added to UHL.

The calls for more investment, more capacity and more staff are being met by the Government allocation of resources. We will continue to do that to address what is a significant pressure at UHL. I thank the staff who are working in difficult conditions there. I reassure them that the Government will apply the necessary resources to ensure that capacity at the hospital increases from both a beds perspective and staffing perspective, where necessary. From a management perspective, Ms Sonya Cotter, the assistant national director of the HSE, has been acting CEO of ULHG since 14 February. The CEO, Professor Cowan, is on leave, and the acting CEO will discharge duties in the context of that role. Ms Sandra Broderick has been appointed the regional executive officer of the HSE Mid West region; she started in late December. As the Deputy knows, HSE Mid West includes counties Limerick, Tipperary and Clare.

This matter is a priority and focus for the Government right now.

As the Deputy called for yesterday, and as the Taoiseach outlined clearly yesterday, what is needed here is increased capacity, more resources and a focus on better management. All of that is happening.

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