Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Ryan for raising the matter of the emergency department in University Hospital Limerick. In the previous Seanad, the Leas-Chathaoirleach raised it continuously. Senator Ryan is correct, in that it is completely unacceptable. For those of us who do not live in the catchment area, it is beyond belief as to how we are continuously in a place where concern is expressed by Members and others about the hospital.

In discussing this matter, we remember Aoife Johnston. I thank Senator Ryan for remembering her this morning.

It is important to recognise that UHL has experienced high levels of congestion again this winter, with a peak of 91 patients on trolleys in the middle of January, as per the HSE TrolleyGAR figures. As Senator Ryan rightly said, the impact on patients and their families is way too high and we cannot allow this to continue.

On 18 February, the Minister for Health brought a memo to the Government regarding the situation set out in the report on urgent and emergency care this February, specifically on the spike in trolley numbers nationally after the bank holiday weekend. The Minister briefed the Cabinet on recent trends in poor patient flow and the build-up of inpatient congestion over weekends. Patient flow must be carefully managed seven days a week. The number of patients admitted and discharged must be kept balanced to avoid congestion, which results in patients waiting on a trolley for a bed.

Ensuring that sufficient numbers of senior decision-makers are rostered to discharge patients throughout the entire week, including evenings, weekends and public holidays, is fundamental to managing patient flow. The public-only consultant contract, introduced in March 2023, provides for evening, extended out-of-hours and Saturday rostering. Attention must now focus on realising the benefits of this contract to increase access to services in the evenings and at weekends.

The Government is committed to ensuring that every necessary measure is taken at UHL to ensure the smooth running of the hospital. UHL is being supported by a large ongoing programme of work to increase capacity in terms of staffing and beds. For the information of Members, the budget for UHL has increased by €224 million, or 84%, from €265 million in 2019 to more than €489 million last year. Staffing has increased by 43% since December 2019, including 62 more consultants, 192 more doctors and 442 more nurses and midwives. Between 2020 and 2023, €90.6 million in capital investment was assigned to UHL. A total of 166 new acute beds have opened in the mid-west region since January 2020, including a 16-bed unit delivered in 2024. The Government is providing for increased capacity, with a new 96-bed block due by the middle of this year and a second new rapid-build 16-bed unit later this year.

Enabling works are under way for a second 96-bed block at UHL and a further 84 inpatient beds are planned through the acute hospital inpatient bed capacity expansion plan. Overall, 582 new inpatient beds will be delivered in the mid-west region between 2020 and 2031. Other measures to alleviate congestion include the extension of opening hours for medical assessment units and the delivery of a new surgical hub.

On the question Senator Ryan raised about other hospitals in the area and emergency departments, opening hours have already been extended from 8 a.m. to midnight at the medical assessment units, MAUs, in Ennis and Nenagh hospitals and the waiting list action plan for 2025 will reduce waiting times for patients. In September 2021, the average time on the list in the mid-west was just under 16 months. By January 2025, the length of time waiting improved to less than six months.

I thank the Senator again for raising this matter. It is of great concern and something that we must continue to be vigilant about and work on, ensuring that we deliver for patients and staff in the mid-west. I apologise that the Minister was not here to take this Commencement matter.