Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I can be very clear that the beds plan will have no negative impact on the projects that are currently planned. We are doing both. It is part of an ongoing investment in Ennis Hospital, which really is going from strength to strength. As the Deputy will be aware, a new outpatient department was opened in 2021. Importantly, a new injury unit was opened in 2022. It is doing incredible work. As the Deputy will know, as part of the UHL response, we are moving to 24-7 medical assessment units, MAUs. We have already extended and are further extending the injury unit opening hours and standardising those. As the Deputy has said, we have the new theatre block. I am not aware of any blockages to that. The information I have from the HSE is that it is at detail design stage. It is in the capital plan, which has been published. We are simply getting on with it and we are doubling the bed capacity as well.

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