Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 32: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on the situation which is now prevalent in both Cavan and Drogheda hospitals where patients, some of them a great age, have to wait on trolleys for days and some have to be brought home at night only to find themselves rejoining the end of the queue the next morning at a time when wards are lying empty in Monaghan, Dundalk and Navan hospitals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42032/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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I understand from the HSE that admitted patients awaiting allocation of an inpatient bed in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda (Drogheda) and Cavan General Hospital are not discharged home while they await a transfer to a bed. The discharge of a patient from hospital is a clinical decision which is made by a Consultant or their medical team. The clinical condition and the age of patients is always taken into consideration by the hospital's bed management team in the allocation of available beds.

The most recent weekly report for ED activity shows that for the week ending 5th November, at 2pm each day, no patient was waiting in excess of 24 hours for admission following the decision to admit them at Drogheda, while Cavan reported an average of less than one on the same basis.

The HSE has identified a range of initiatives to maximise capacity and bed utilisation of the overall bed complement in both Drogheda and Cavan. Improving access to inpatient beds will help to minimise the length of time patients remain in the Emergency Department (ED).

In Drogheda measures are being taken to enhance the discharge and bed allocation processes and access to the recently established Medical Assessment Unit (MAU). The provision of additional bed capacity through ongoing capital projects such as the development of the permanent MAU facility and the provision of additional CCU and ICU beds as well as an increase in the provision of PCCC supports for ED attendances is planned.

The ED in Cavan has been refurbished resulting in expanded capacity. The Hospital is implementing measures to improve bed utilisation and designation, the management of patients through the ED, access to the MAU and the transfer of patients to Primary and Community Care Services.