Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this issue.

First, I wish to acknowledge the distress for patients and their families, and the impact on staff, caused by overcrowded conditions in some of our hospital emergency departments, including the one in Letterkenny.

Tackling overcrowding in emergency departments is a key commitment of this Government. As part of budget 2018, an extra €30 million was made available to respond to winter pressures in 2017, with a further €40 million being provided in 2018. As part of these measures, nearly 150 additional beds have been opened this winter in Beaumont Hospital, St. James's Hospital, Naas General Hospital, St. Luke's General Hospital in Kilkenny, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, and in Limerick and Galway. Further beds will open throughout 2018, including at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, which will see new emergency department and ward capacity come onstream in 2018.

Part of this funding will also be focused on supporting older people to remain in their own homes by providing additional home care packages and additional transitional care beds per week over the winter period. These measures have already been rolled out to targeted hospitals nationally thus helping to alleviate some of the pressure our hospitals are currently experiencing.

In terms of the specific query raised concerning Letterkenny University Hospital, I am aware that a proposal for additional beds in Letterkenny was submitted as part of the winter plan for 2017-18. I have been informed by my officials that these additional beds have not been funded under the winter plan for 2017-18. However, my Department is undertaking a health system capacity review, in line with the Programme for a Partnership Government commitment, the findings of which are due to be published early this year. The review will provide an evidence base for future capacity decisions.

It is important to note that the public hospital system has seen a growing demand for care, and Letterkenny follows this trend. Emergency department attendances at Letterkenny were up by over 1% at the end of 2017, including an almost 5% increase in emergency department attendances by people over 75 years, when compared with 2016. Notwithstanding the pressure on the emergency department at the Letterkenny hospital, it is worth noting that patient experience times in Letterkenny are above the national average. That means patients complete their episode of care more quickly in the emergency department in Letterkenny, which goes back to the point raised by the Senator about the staff, doctors and nurses who work in the hospital.

I shall conclude by noting the commitment given by this Government to develop and improve services at Letterkenny University Hospital, as evidenced by the significant level of investment in capital projects in recent years. These developments include multiple remedial works following flooding in 2013, a new state-of-the-art blood science laboratory in 2015, a new medical academy and a clinical skills laboratory opened last year.

In addition, the HSE has advised that several important staffing posts are currently being progressed, including for a second consultant endocrinologist and advanced nurse practitioners.