Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 685: To ask the Minister for Health the terms of reference of the investigation he is proposing into whether accident and emergency patients are being moved to in-patient wards when full capacity protocols are in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25683/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I am not aware of the investigation referred to by the Deputy. However, I would like to draw the Deputy's attention to the statement issued by the INMO, acknowledging and confirming the reduction by 17% overall in the numbers of people on trolleys in emergency departments in the first four months of 2012, as compared to the first four months of 2011. This overall reduction reflects a 23% reduction in the Dublin area and a 13% reduction for the rest of the country. This follows from a 27% reduction nationally in 2011. Reduction of trolley numbers was a key priority initiative for the Special Delivery Unit (SDU) in my Department for 2011. Building on the achievements of 2011, and the first four months of 2012, the SDU will work with the NTPF, the HSE Clinical Programmes and hospitals to minimise patient waiting times in emergency departments further.

The next phase of work by the SDU will include the introduction of an Unscheduled Care Target to be introduced in 2012 and a change of focus in ED to patient journey time monitoring (in addition to trolley waits), as part of the new national score card for measuring performance, with an ultimate aim of ensuring that 95% of all attendees at EDs are discharged or admitted within 6 hours of registration, and that those who need to be admitted through ED wait no more than 9 hours from registration.