Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 927: To ask the Minister for Health his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding waiting times in an accident and emergency department. [1017/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I have said very clearly on many occasions that the situation in our hospital emergency departments where people must wait for unacceptably long periods on trolleys will not be allowed to continue. For this reason, one of my first actions as Minister for Health was to set about establishing the Special Delivery Unit. The SDU is establishing an infrastructure based on information collection and analysis, hospital by hospital, so that we will know what is actually happening in real time. It is providing information tools for hospital managers, including clinical managers, to map and measure bed capacity in their hospital depending on variations in for example the average length of stay of patients. T his will allow us to begin to embed performance management in the system, to manage bed capacity and to sustain shorter waiting times.

The problems in our emergency departments are complex and they did not arise overnight. The particular issues vary from hospital to hospital and some of the solutions will depend on local factors. As part of the process of forming the overall picture of the emergency department situation nationally, the SDU has identified fifteen hospitals which between them account for 80% of the trolley wait problem in the hospital system. Eight Hospitals have been identified for very high support including the Mater. Liaison Officers from the SDU are working pro-actively to support these sites. I have also agreed that some additional funding may be provided, on a strictly once off basis, based on specific proposals from the hospital to reduce waiting times in the period 1 November 2011 to 31 January 2012 which will help address issues such as delayed discharges. Adherence to the agreed criteria will be closely monitored by the SDU.

The conditions and performance measures which the Mater and other hospitals will have to meet are as follows; for the remainder of the year and throughout January 2012 no patient will wait more than 23 hours in the hospital's Emergency Department. In addition the trolley wait target must be maintained at least 70% below the maximum daily trolley count since January 2010. Other conditions/performance measures include: · Seven day ward/discharge rounds · Achievement of all Acute Medicine Programme milestones · Implementation of approved measures to effectively stream elderly patients.

In relation to the Mater some €0.78m has been approved to help alleviate emergency department pressures including:

· Assisted discharge packages

· Intermediate Beds

· Increased bed capacity within Mater for low acuity purposes

· Re-opening of 17 step down beds at St Mary's Hospital, Phoenix Park.

I am pleased to report that there has been an improvement in the number of patients on trolleys in this period. I am aware that a complaint has been made to the Health Service Executive in relation to the matters raised by the Deputy and I have asked the Executive for their report once it is complete.