Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 182: To ask the Minister for Health his plans for the reopening of the accident and emergency service at Louth County Hospital. [14557/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I am committed to ensuring that acute hospital services at national, regional and local level are provided in a clinically appropriate and efficient manner. In particular I want to ensure that services are provided safely and in the setting most appropriate to patients' needs.

The local emergency department in Louth County Hospital was put in place last year following the transfer of emergency and complex care to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda and is a 7 day service available between 9am and 8pm each day. The unit treats adults and children aged fourteen years and over who present with non-emergency conditions. Attendances to the service have continued to increase in 2011 with an average of 25 daily. Patients requiring emergency hospital admission are admitted to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda or the nearest appropriate hospital. It is important to stress that patient safety has been central to all decisions taken regarding the operation of health services in the region as well as nationally.

Louth County Hospital is an integral part of the Louth/Meath Hospital Group and I am determined that it will continue to play an important role in the delivery of clinical services in the Louth/Meath area and to patients in other parts of the North East Region. In order to fully consider the issues involved, I will be taking account of the current organisation of acute services in the region and the important clinical programmes being developed by the HSE.