Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome here today. I tabled this Commencement matter because of the importance of the accident and emergency department at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. As we all know, it is a necessary resource for many people in counties Louth and Meath.

In 2016, the last works to expand and improve the accident and emergency department were completed. Since then, as the Minister of State will know, there has been a huge increase in population, not only in the north east but also all over Ireland. According to the 2022 census, the population of Louth grew by 8% and in Meath it grew by 13%. In addition to the increase in population, there has been an increase in the ageing population. In Louth, the number of people aged 65 and over increased by 24%, while in Meath the population of those aged over 65 grew by 30%. Nationally, it grew by 22%. This shows the ageing population in the north east and the importance of providing adequate services for them.

I ask the Minister of State for investment into the accident and emergency department in Drogheda in order to increase capacity and capabilities. More ambulances are needed to facilitate higher levels of staff. This investment would and could combat the current issues within the emergency department. Last week, there were news stories of ten ambulances waiting to admit patients for hours outside the accident and emergency department in Drogheda in the middle of the week. The problem of full capacity and waiting times often gets so bad that people are urged by the management of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital not to attend because of an absolute emergency. Such a warning was issued this month on 5 October.

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association has warned that patient outcomes are being compromised due to increased waiting times and overstretched staff. In 2023, the average waiting time at the emergency department in Drogheda was ten hours. The north east has one of the lowest numbers of hospital beds per person in the State, at 1.89 beds per 1,000 people.Every week, I hear stories about Drogheda hospital and its capacity issues, as well as the long waiting lists to be seen. I hear stories of staff, who are stretched but committed, working at full capacity under great pressure and dealing with a huge lack of space, with a limited number of staff to lighten that load. There are plenty of negatives about Drogheda emergency department, but there are many stories of good care having been given. Everyone agrees that once you get into the hospital and are seen, the facilities are second to none, thanks to the investment that has been seen in gynaecology and in the operating theatres, which are top class.

I have spent days on a trolley in Drogheda emergency department and would not wish it on anyone. Most of us will know people who need to go to the emergency department and will be very worried about that. I know of some people whose family members last week had to sit for hours on chairs in the emergency department. I beg the Department to look at the demographic changes in Louth and the north east in general, at the options to increase the emergency department capacity and at increasing the number of beds in the hospital. I appreciate that more than 116 beds have been added in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital recently, but we need to look at all options, including perhaps the expansion of the services in Louth County Hospital in Dundalk with the injury unit.

Where there is a will, there is a way. We will continue to see an increase in the population in the north west. The most recent investment, as I said, happened in 2016. It is time for new investment and an increase in the services there.