Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Harris, I thank Senator Conway for raising this important matter today. It is unacceptable that patients, especially the elderly and the vulnerable, have to wait on trolleys for long periods of time. The accident and emergency department at University Hospital Limerick, UHL, is one of the busiest in the country with approximately 67,000 attendances annually. Demand for accident and emergency department services at the hospital continues to increase. The number of accident and emergency department attendances at UHL in 2017 represented a 6% increase on the 2016 figure. In recognition of this high demand, funding of €24 million was provided for a new accident and emergency department at UHL which opened in May of last year. The new facility is three times larger than the old accident and emergency department. It has improved the patient experience in respect of comfort, privacy and, above all, dignity. The Minister for Health visited the accident and emergency department for its opening last year. I know he was impressed with the accident and emergency department, particularly its pod-based design, the aim of which is to streamline patient pathways.

Notwithstanding this significant investment, the accident and emergency department at UHL continues to face challenges. There are many patients on trolleys in the department each day. Late last year, the Minister for Health met the director general of the HSE, the chief executive and the clinical director of the hospital group and the head of the HSE special delivery unit to discuss the situation in the accident and emergency department at UHL. At his request, the hospital has submitted an accident and emergency department performance improvement plan, which sets out in detail how performance will be improved. The plan is currently being implemented. In December 2017, there was a 4.9% decrease in trolley numbers at UHL compared to December 2016. We expect to see this incremental improvement continue in 2018.

In order to alleviate overcrowding pressures this winter, 17 new surge capacity beds opened in the old accident and emergency at UHL in September 2017. These beds will be converted into a medical short-term unit in 2018. In addition, Limerick has been in receipt of access to 13 additional transitional care beds and four additional home care packages every week since the start of October. These supports will continue until the end of winter in March. UHL was chosen as a pilot site for a national HSE programme which is designed to improve patient flow across acute hospitals and the wider health service. This programme aims to develop and assist different approaches to the improvement of patient flow.

I reiterate that the Minister of Health is acutely aware of the current situation at UHL and is monitoring the situation closely. The Department of Health, the HSE and the University of Limerick hospital group are carrying out measures to improve this situation. We must bear in mind that behind every trolley number is a real patient who needs effective, timely and compassionate care from the health service. I assure the Senator that the Government remains committed to driving this type of improvement in all accident and emergency departments in the country. I will be happy to respond to any other issues the Senator may wish to raise.