Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 129: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on the accident and emergency task force report that called for more acute hospital beds and step down beds and the statement made that seven accident and emergency departments are unfit for that purpose; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17604/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Health Service Executive (HSE) recently published the Emergency Department (ED) Task Force Report. The HSE has advised that the infrastructural deficits identified in the seven hospitals referred to by the Deputy are being addressed through a combination of interim and long-term capital improvements and refurbishment. The Task Force recommends that the issues in Emergency Departments be examined on a whole hospital and whole system basis. It identifies the requirement for hospital specific initiatives as well as the development of national responses in relation to key structural issues. A key requirement is the development of strong internal management control processes at hospital and community levels to ensure that capacity is fully optimised and that measures designed to unlock capacity are supported by strong controls which enable an appropriate balancing between emergency and elective workloads.

My Department is assured by the HSE that a series of additional measures are being put in place to ensure the delivery of an improved service for patients and to reduce pressure on A&E Departments. These include a series of hospital avoidance measures including:—

Expansion of the Hospital in the Home scheme to the Dublin Academic Teaching Hospitals

Development of Community Intervention Teams

Roll-out of more primary care teams

Expansion of out-of-hours GP services

Expansion of community diagnostic services

Measures being taken to improve and optimise acute hospital capacity and capability include:

Seven new Community Nursing Units in Dublin

Additional long-stay beds outside of Dublin

Development of Admission Lounges

Acute Medical Assessment Units at Navan and Naas

Acute Medical Admission Units at Beaumont, Sligo and Tallaght

Development of enhanced diagnostic capability in hospitals