Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, to the Seanad this evening. His presence to address this critical Private Members' motion speaks volumes of his commitment to this issue. It is a critical for us in the mid-west. For some years people in the mid-west have suffered considerably as a result of the overcrowding in the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick. It is very appropriate for Fine Gael to use its Private Members' time to highlight the challenges and difficulties faced by people throughout the mid-west at the accident and emergency department but also to look to the future and identify what needs to be done. In many ways it is a campaigning motion. The Minister is fully aware of the issues and challenges. He has visited the emergency department on a number of occasions. He has seen the positives but has also seen the negatives.

The motion acknowledges the apology by management at University Hospital Limerick for the experience people have faced at the accident and emergency department, not just in recent weeks but for some years. That apology is important. It states a lot. It states that people understand the trauma, difficulties, challenges and stress that people face.

This evening's debate is about solutions. There are a number of very clear solutions to the problem. No instantaneous solution would resolve the problem outside capacity building, but a number of things can be done. The first thing that the motion proposes is that the Minister would seriously and genuinely reconsider providing an elective hospital for the mid-west. While we very much welcome the three elective hospitals announced for Cork, Galway and Dublin, we believe because of the problems with lack of capacity, the mid-west should have been one of the regions for an elective hospital to be located. That said, I believe a fourth elective hospital would be appropriate. We do not want to take an elective hospital from any of the three locations identified, but we believe that the Government should consider Limerick for an elective hospital.

We also feel very strongly about the need for the second and third 96-bed units that have been discussed and identified as a priority. The Minister and the Taoiseach very kindly engaged with both Opposition and Government Oireachtas Members from the mid-west about three weeks ago. During that discussion everybody agreed that there was a serious lack of capacity in University Hospital Limerick. The way to address that is by building capacity. We very much welcome the beginning of construction of the 96-bed unit that is under way at the moment. I hope it will be delivered on time - whatever about within budget. We want the UL Hospitals Group to submit its plans for a second and third 96-bed block. Once those plans have been submitted to the Government, it needs to be turned around in a matter of weeks. By the end of quarter 2 or quarter 3 or certainly by the end of 2023, there should be a Government commitment to the second and third 96-bed blocks. Everybody agrees that capacity is an issue. If capacity is an issue, let us deal with it and let us have a Government commitment that funding will not be a problem and that it will be delivered as quickly as possible.

The third element of the motion that we feel very strongly about is the surgical unit, which has received Cabinet approval.I thank the Minister for his ongoing commitment, particularly in the provision of a surgical unit. He has seen the benefit of the surgical unit in Tallaght University Hospital and that it has alleviated significant pressure on the hospital's emergency department, ED. We believe the same will happen in Limerick but we want the surgical unit built as a matter of urgency. Whatever needs to be done to deliver that as quickly as possible needs to happen. This motion articulates and supports that position.

The fourth thing we want to see happen relates to Shannondoc. We believe Shannondoc should be located on the grounds of UHL simply because 50% of presentations at UHL are not referrals. They are people who turn up because they cannot access a GP in time and panic. They are not blue-lighted nor are they referred. On that basis, we want Shannondoc located on the grounds of UHL so that non-referrals that come to the hospital can be redirected to Shannondoc. In such a scenario, if it is identified they need to attend the accident and emergency department, they can be facilitated with a referral letter and, if not, they can be dealt with by Shannondoc.

These are four proposals we in Fine Gael believe will deal incrementally with the situation at the ED in Limerick. They are not a panacea that will solve all the problems but taking those four steps would be a significant move forward in that regard.

Overall, the reconfiguration that took place in 2009 put the cart before the horse. The facilities had not been equipped or developed before the reconfiguration happened. Had the facilities been in place, we probably would not be here discussing this issue now, but that is history. What we must deal with now is how we move forward. This motion is important and it is important we discuss it in the Seanad. I sincerely hope it receives all-party support because it is critically important to the people of Clare, Kerry, Limerick and north Tipperary. I acknowledge that the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, has come to the Chamber to address this motion, which speaks volumes.