Written answers

Wednesday, 18 May 2011

Department of Health

Accident and Emergency Services

8:00 pm

Photo of Billy KelleherBilly Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 201: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if he will confirm the numbers waiting for admission in hospital accident and emergency departments and for primary care teams; and the contact that he has had with the Health Service Executive regarding these figures. [11305/11]

Photo of Billy KelleherBilly Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 202: To ask the Minister for Health and Children his views that the figures provided by the Health Service Executive in regard to the number of patients on trolleys in accident and emergency departments in hospitals has been understated; the action he will take to have this matter investigated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11708/11]

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 201 and 202 together.

The most widely available information on waiting times in Emergency Departments relates only to those who have been assessed as in need of admission. These "trolley wait" figures provide an important snapshot but they exclude patients who do not require admission. The INMO and the HSE have been publishing trolley wait figures at different times and using different methodologies. As a first step, I have decided that the basis on which the INMO has been producing the snapshot figures is one that we should use from now on. These figures will be validated by Nurse Managers in Emergency Departments and bed managers within each hospital.

The next step is to collect full waiting time data for all patients, whether admitted or not, from time of registration at an ED, to time of discharge or admission. The HSE is working intensively to put this data system in place. The target we are working to achieve is that all patients will be treated and discharged or admitted as required, within 6 hours of arrival at an ED.

In order to help make sure that happens, I am establishing a Special Delivery Unit (SDU) to improve access to the emergency and elective care system. The SDU is a Government priority and as such is included in the Programme for Government 2011-2016, to be achieved within the first 100 days. Extensive work is currently being undertaken in designing the Unit, which will be modelled, in part, on the successful special delivery unit in Northern Ireland which substantially reduced waiting lists over two to three years.

The difficulties in our Emergency Departments must be addressed on the basis of a health wide approach. I believe that Primary Care Teams are capable of safely dealing with a number of the cases that present at our Emergency Departments. The development of Primary Care Teams and Primary Care Services is a priority under the Programme for Government. The aim is to provide the maximum possible in health and social care in local communities and this will be achieved by increasing activity in the primary care setting and the redirecting of services away from acute hospitals to the community.

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