Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 475: To ask the Minister for Health his views on the revelation that a patient with TB was on a trolley for five days in the emergency department of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, County Louth; his further views that because of this other patients and staff are to be screened for TB; and the steps he has taken to ensure such a situation does not happen again [31797/11]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 476: To ask the Minister for Health the steps he has taken to deal with the overcrowding in the emergency department of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda [31798/11]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 492: To ask the Minister for Health if he will use the power given to him under the Health Act 2007 to order an investigation into the safety of the emergency department in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, County Louth, in view of the persistent overcrowding and the recent reports of a patient with TB having spent up to five days in the emergency department [31908/11]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 510: To ask the Minister for Health if he will make additional resources available to the Louth-Meath Hospital Group to allow the opening of non-commissioned beds in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, and in the Louth County Hospital to alleviate the problem of overcrowding in the emergency department at the former facility [32112/11]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 524: To ask the Minister for Health if he will detail the engagement the special delivery unit has had with Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, County Louth, specifically in respect of dealing with the issue of overcrowding in the emergency department there; the way in which the special delivery unit will improve capacity there; and the way the special delivery unit aims to tackle the issue of overcrowding in the emergency department at the hospital [32204/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 475, 476, 492, 510 and 524 together.

As the Deputy knows, this Government has an ambitious programme of reform which includes institutional reforms and economic incentives which will make health care providers truly accountable for delivering patient centred care. I can assure the Deputy that I have the commitment and determination to deliver this agenda. I do not consider it acceptable that a patient should wait five days in an emergency department (ED) and in order to tackle unacceptably long waiting times in EDs I established the Special Delivery Unit (SDU). The aim of the SDU is to unblock access to acute services by improving the flow of patients through the system. The SDU is focusing initially on EDs and is working to support hospitals in addressing excessive waiting times for admission to hospital.

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda is working across a number of levels to reduce the time patients wait on trolleys in the ED and the Clinical Director and Group General Manager are fully engaged with the SDU in this regard. The SDU has visited emergency departments and conducted a data analysis. It has identified a number of hospitals providing unscheduled care that require support. Eight of these hospitals require very high support including Our Lady of Lourdes Drogheda. As part of the process of engagement with the SDU these hospitals have prepared plans setting out measures that could be taken quickly in the hospital and/or closely related community setting that would significantly relieve pressure on the ED by, for example, addressing delayed discharges.

Following consideration and as part of the overall process of SDU engagement the proposals put forward in relation to Our Lady of Lourdes Drogheda will be supported, with some short term once off funding in the initial phase. This funding support is subject to a number of conditions being met including satisfactory implementation of the Acute Medicine Programme.

The particular incident raised by the Deputy related to a patient who presented to the Emergency Department of Our Lady Of Lourdes with symptoms unrelated to TB. In all the patient spent five days in the Emergency Department. During his time in the Emergency Department, the patient was given a chest x-ray and was found to have TB. Following the discovery of TB appropriate isolation and treatment commenced. During the period that the patient spent in the ED three patients were identified as potentially having had contact for more than 10 hours with the person concerned. These patients have been contacted, counselled and offered testing for TB. All staff with potential contact have been offered counselling and TB testing. This HSE is satisfied that the incident has been appropriately handled from an infection control, and contact tracing point of view and it is very important that any public concern in this regard be allayed.

Finally, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), as the Deputy will be aware, is currently engaged with Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in relation to the hospital's ED. Under this arrangement HIQA may make impromptu visits to the hospital. The Authority recently made one such visit to the hospital. I also understand that a meeting was held with HIQA last month at which ED and other issues relating to Our Lady of Lourdes were discussed.