Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 187: To ask the Minister for Health if he will make a statement on the report by emergency doctors that children are spending up to 24 hours on hospital trolleys because of the shortage of beds and that it is reported that 13 or 14 children have to spend the night on a trolley in an emergency department and some spend their entire hospital stay on one. [11757/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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It is not acceptable that any patient and especially a child must wait for treatment. The whole thrust of the Government's health reform programme is to make the system work better and improve patient's experiences even while we are tackling the economic crisis facing our country.

Hospitals across the country are currently experiencing a surge in attendances to Emergency Departments due to an increase in the number of patients presenting with influenza and respiratory problems.

Children awaiting admission are in personal cubicles or isolation rooms where a bed is not yet available. I must emphasise that children who are waiting to be admitted are getting the full range of specialist care they need while in the Emergency Department.

The Paediatric Hospitals work together as a unified network. The Clinical Director, a joint appointment across all three hospitals, works with the hospitals to ensure patients are given the right treatment in the most appropriate location. When bed pressures occur, the Clinical Director clinically reviews patients and, where necessary, redeploys patients across the hospitals.

The three Dublin Paediatric hospitals are working closely together so that children can be admitted quickly where necessary. The Paediatric Hospitals remain cognisant at all times of the challenges facing their young patients and of the need to support families. The hospitals work with the families whenever possible to ensure the least possible disruption to the patient.

The HSE Regional Director of Operations and the Clinical Director are arranging to meet with the Association of Paediatric Emergency Medicine Physicians as soon as possible to review matters.