Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister for coming to discuss this all-important issue. This is my ninth year in the Oireachtas, and I would not like to count how many times I, and many others in the Chamber from Limerick, raised the issue of UHL. I thank the Minister for her openness and transparency in terms of her thoughts and whole process, but also the fact she is taking the report from HIQA into account. It is very clear this is about capacity. I would like to compliment Catherine Peters and Sandra Broderick as well. It has been a breath of fresh air. The Oireachtas briefings have been very open and forward thinking in terms of what their thoughts are and how we can solve the issue. It is very clear that it is about capacity. When the Minister took over the brief, she put in greater efficiencies and put emphasis on the fact that consultants were not working on the weekend, people were not being discharged and there was bed-blocking. A lot of those practices have changed and that is down to the staff in the hospital and to the Minister's thoughts on how it should operate differently. It took buy-in from the staff to achieve that so that has certainly helped an awful lot.

The impact of the new 96-bed block has been shown in terms of trolley numbers, but some days it does shoot back up again and comes down. However, the staff have worked there under horrific circumstances as have the patients attending the hospital over many years. Some people were afraid to go in there. I really hated to hear that being said because if somebody is sick, he or she needs to go to the hospital. I would like to pay compliments to the other hospitals in the region, namely, St. John's Hospital, Nenagh Hospital, Ennis Hospital and Croom Hospital because they are all part of that UHL configuration. There are extra beds going into some of those hospitals, like St. John's Hospital, which is a Nightingale hospital. Many older people feel so comfortable going there, with the care and attention they get there. I compliment the staff in all those other hospitals. It has been about greater efficiency and greater use. I recall raising a Commencement matter about the blood clinic closing at 12 p.m. on a Friday, so if somebody went to the doctor after that, they were sent to UHL and spent the weekend waiting to have their bloods taken, whereas all those practices have changed and that is leading to greater efficiencies.

From the very beginning I have been very clear that options A and B need to happen in unison, which will eventually lead to option C. I compliment all my colleagues across all parties and none who came together as a unified voice right across the mid-west. This is the first time all voices have come together because they are so concerned about the future for the mid-west and the safety of patients and staff. It is great we have a unified voice from most parties on the future of what should happen at UHL. The buy-in from the staff has been really important. There are many volunteers working in the hospital. It is good to see they are delivering above their weight in terms of discharges and other issues that are happening at the hospital. We have the surgical hub coming on board. I understand that is opening in the middle of next year. That will help. Option A has to progress as quickly as possible. The foundations have started and it has gone out to tender. I hope with the memo from Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Deputy Chambers, that things will be able to happen in a more proactive manner. We might be able to provide more beds. We cannot pre-empt what is going to be in the memo, but it is about doing things more efficiently. The private hospital in Limerick went up in 18 months. The public hospital has ties to the Department. Hopefully that will help and the Minister will take that into account. As far as I am concerned, options A and B have to happen as quickly as possible.

I was in HSE West for a number of years and I listened to colleagues in Galway talk about University Hospital Galway and Merlin Park University Hospital, and how they were working so well in tandem. That is what I envisage for Limerick hopefully. The more acute patients will be in the main hospital and the less acute patients in the new section. It will mean greater efficiencies, but safety for all and people experiencing better healthcare. I acknowledge the people who have died in the hospital system. Sometimes, we do not know the circumstances. I also acknowledge the hardworking staff and everybody who is helping to bring this together, including consultant Terry Hennessy, who sat on the HIQA report team locally. I am looking forward to working with the Minister for greater delivery for the mid-west.