Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the question. I support his call for ongoing investment in the medical assessment unit in Nenagh Hospital. The unit has been providing a valuable service locally. In many cases, it is an alternative to the emergency department for GP referrals. It is currently open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Last year, more than 4,000 patients were referred to the medical assessment unit in Nenagh. Already this year, the number of patients is in excess of 3,000 and climbing rapidly.

The Deputy will be aware that there was considerable investment of €2.3 million in the medical assessment unit in Nenagh. That allowed an extension to a seven days per week service from a five day per week service. Opening hours increased to 12 hours per day in July 2024. The service was provided five days per week and is now provided seven days per week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. I confirm that the policy is to move to 24 hours per day. Recruitment is under way and the posts have been sanctioned for that. There is ongoing discussion with the representative bodies and unions. They have raised concerns around rosters and working patterns with which the HSE is engaging. I would like those issues to be resolved because, as I said, the funding and posts are there. I want to get those posts hired into as quickly as possible so that we can open a 24-7 service, as the Deputy said. Once the ongoing engagement with the unions ends, we can move in that direction very quickly.

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