Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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Last week when the Minister, Deputy Harris, was here in the Chamber, he referred to the budget for this year, of €14.6 billion, as being the highest ever health budget. He also referred to the distress of patients and their families and the impact to the staff caused by cramped and overcrowded conditions and high numbers of patients on trolleys. University Hospital Limerick has been to the forefront in media coverage for having the highest number on trolleys and overcrowding in the accident and emergency department for quite a while.

I am aware that the new accident and emergency department in University Hospital Limerick is due to open in May 2017. The go-ahead was also received last week to go to the design stage for 96 acute beds. At the same time that this application was put in for the 96 beds, St. John's Hospital in Limerick, which is part of the University Hospital Group as well, made an application for the replacement of 90 beds within the city centre in Limerick. There are currently 99 beds in the hospital. Ten are for people in need of medical procedures and ten are day care. St. John's Hospital was built in 1780 as a fever and lock hospital. It is the second oldest hospital in the country, after the Rotunda, which is still on the original site. The application was included as part of the University Hospital Group application to the national capital development fund. Both were put on a priority list at the same time.

To solve the problem around waiting lists, overcrowding and the accident and emergency department in University Hospital Limerick, we need to expedite this at the same time as the 96 beds for University Hospital Limerick. If we build these replacement beds within St. John's, it will be possible to expand the services. Some services currently operate out of prefabs. The hospital has been struggling for a while to provide services both for staff and patients in a safe manner. The staff have certainly done their very best. Their services are renowned and I compliment all involved who work there. The Minister will know, because he visited the hospital recently and saw it at first hand, the shortage and problems facing people there.It is not just for the people of Limerick. It is for the people of the mid-west as well because it is the main hospital. If the two could be put forward at the same time, it would help to expand services and create extra beds. It would also help to reduce waiting lists if more beds were available for day-care procedures in different services. It is mainly medical, gynaecological and general medical assessment that is carried out there. There is also an injuries assessment unit. They are the main services provided in the hospital. It would also lead to job creation because of the proposed expansion. If the two could happen in tandem it would be great.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Minister apologises for not being here. I welcome the opportunity to address the House on this matter. A number of projects have been identified by the University of Limerick hospital group for further development. These include a proposal for a 96-bed ward block at University Hospital Limerick, UHL, on the Dooradoyle campus and a 90-bed replacement ward block at St. John's Hospital in Limerick city. It will be necessary to prioritise these projects in a national context. It is important to note that a number of construction projects are under way at UHL. Acute hospital campuses are complex sites and all construction must be carefully planned and scheduled to ensure patient care is not impeded or unnecessarily impacted.

In the 2017 national service plan, the HSE outlined a number of projects which are expected to be completed and become operational in 2017 or early 2018. In particular, the opening of the new emergency department at UHL has been identified as a priority in the 2017 service plan. The Minister, Deputy Harris, has confirmed that an additional €1.4 million has been allocated to facilitate the opening of the new emergency department later this year. The new facility will triple the size of the current emergency department and will immeasurably improve the experience of patients in terms of comfort, privacy and dignity. The new emergency department is currently being fitted out and recruitment of the additional staff required for the enlarged facility is ongoing. The acute medical assessment unit and outpatient department are being refurbished and reconfigured to provide eight additional assessment places and 12 replacement assessment spaces. In addition, a surgical and pre-operative assessment unit is projected to open in the third quarter of 2017 and will provide 14 additional assessment spaces. I also note the clinical education and research centre, which is co-funded by the University of Limerick, is projected to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2017. It has an estimated capital cost of €12.9 million.

These projects demonstrate the considerable investment in infrastructure which is currently under way on the UHL campus and which will benefit the wider hospital group. The HSE is concentrating on applying the limited funding available for infrastructural development in the most effective way possible to meet current and future needs. The reality is that limited funding is available for new projects over the multi-annual period of 2016 to 2021, given the level of commitment in place and the costs of completion of projects already under way. Further investment in the UL hospital group must therefore be considered within the overall acute hospital sector infrastructure programme and within the overall capital envelope available to the health service. The House is aware that a proposed mid-term review of the State's capital envelope will assess progress and review emerging pressures and demands. It is expected that this mid-term review will be completed in 2017. The Department of Health will work with the HSE and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to conduct this review of the capital programme. The Department of Health will also conduct a bed capacity review which will assess projected health care needs over the next decade and the associated infrastructural requirements to meet these needs.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for her reply and welcome what she has said. If the plan for the 90 replacement beds could go to the design stage at the same time as the design stage of the 96 acute beds, it would be very helpful for the region to get it that far. There is a shortage of funding but I am sure the funding will come down the line as things begin to improve. If it could be considered to go to the design stage as part of the mid-term review, it would be very positive because the two need to work together to resolve the issue in Limerick.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I will reply quickly to Senator Byrne. I will raise the capital funding and the mid-term review with the Minister. I will repeat the Senator's point that the 90 replacement beds should be put into service over a certain amount of time.

I will add to what the Senator said in the beginning. This Government has given the largest ever budget for health care. There are people still waiting on trolleys, but not the significant numbers there were before Christmas. It has caused considerable concern for families when loved ones are left in accident and emergency departments on trolleys for longer than required. I will raise these issues with the Minister and I assure the Senator that he will do anything in his power, providing the budget is available, to make sure replacement hospital beds are in place as soon as possible.