Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming in today to discuss this all-important issue. It will not be the first time he has heard from me regarding hospital waiting lists, and specifically those in UHL. I acknowledge the staff of the hospital and the patients and families who have gone there to access services. It is certainly a fine hospital. I also acknowledge that between 2020 and 2022, the Government invested in the region of €95 million in the UHL Hospitals Group. This must certainly be acknowledged. The fact that so much has been invested and yet we have a broken system in some areas in the hospital shows this is maybe not all about money and investment. We must examine this matter.

We all want a hospital that is safe and secure for the patients accessing it and the staff working there daily. I acknowledge that staff have been working in very difficult situations over several years. There has been much investment, but seeing 11,000 people protesting on the streets of Limerick city last week means this is a situation that must be looked at. I acknowledge the fact that changes have been made in the hospital since 3 January 2023, when an incident was called on that day. I refer as well to the changes made in Ennis hospital and to the better use of other hospitals in the region.

We have UHL and the other level 2 hospitals in the group. We do not have a private hospital in the area. Other Senators who have spoken have referred to beds being used in other hospitals. We do not have that luxury unfortunately. The new system brought in, though, is beginning to work. On one day alone this week we had nine people on trolleys, whereas in December and early January there were more than 100 people on trolleys in one day. I acknowledge, therefore, that some progress has been made, but much more must be made.

I also acknowledge the open letter from the consultants today. I am sure the Minister has received a copy of it by now. They are calling on us all to work collectively to deliver a better process. The investment in the hospital needs to be accompanied by the required staff. It is clear to me that in certain areas there is a shortage of staff. There is a shortage of consultants and nurses, especially in some key areas, as well as other staff. I understand that an up-to-date IT system is needed too and that much time is spent on things being done manually and this information must then be transcribed and input into a computer system. This may be an area that needs to be explored.

Reference was made to surgical clinics in the online meeting we had with the Minister and the Taoiseach and the senior management UHL in the past ten days. Limerick hospital is to be one of five included and I would like to see this process accelerated and brought forward as soon as possible. I refer to making short-term, medium-term and long-term changes. We can have all the long-term changes, but I request that this clinic be brought forward quickly.

We also spoke about the two other 98-bed blocks needed in terms of the hospital. I ask that we explore the possibility of waiving the requirement for planning permission to allow the preparation and consultation process to build these blocks to start now. We have one 98-bed block under way, so I am sure the other will have the same design. In that context, can a design team be appointed as soon as possible? It is necessary.

In the past, St. John's Hospital submitted a proposal for a 150-bed block. The then Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, was looking very favourably at this proposal. It was set to be included in the capital programme, but I do not think it ever got to be finally listed. This is another issue we must examine. St. John's Hospital has only ten procedural beds available daily and I ask if we can look at other areas in this regard. Specifically, I ask that the crisis management team the Minister brought in to work alongside the senior staff at UHL explore other areas, because so many have worked so well in the hospital. It is the accident and emergency department that is under the most pressure, and other smaller areas. The fact that some procedures had to be cancelled in recent weeks has led to waiting lists. We must, therefore, look afresh at this situation. I look forward to working with the Minister in this regard.