Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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15. To ask the Minister for Health his response to recent reports regarding emergency departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27073/14]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The most recently published report referring to Emergency Departments is the HIQA report on University of Limerick Hospital Group. University of Limerick Hospital Group is the first hospital group to be assessed against the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare. This is an independent assessment of services against explicit standards and it is important that the findings, both good and bad, are made clear. This will improve the quality and safety of the services for the patients who use them.

While the report makes it clear that significant challenges remain, particularly with unscheduled care, it also identifies that significant progress has been made in relation to corporate and clinical governance, and in the reorganisation of services within the Group. It is acknowledged that there are ongoing pressures on the ULH ED. However, an extensive capital project is underway with a budget of 20 million to build a new ED which will open in 2016. In the interim, the HSE has put in place a number of initiatives to address current limitations for patients and staff in the ED facility. These include:

- a separate paediatric emergency area which is now fully open and provides a child friendly, separate area for children who require an emergency response;

- a newly opened €35 million critical care unit, which represents a major step forward in the development of acute hospital services across the region;

- a 17 bedded short stay unit, which opened on 25 April and is being managed by the acute medicine physicians. The unit admits patients who are short stay and can be discharged within 48 hours of admission.

The work of the ED is supported by the Acute Medical and Surgical Assessment Units, which take direct referrals from GPs and referrals from the Emergency Department. There are also three Local Injury Units and Medical Assessment Units in the Region, in Ennis, Nenagh and St. John’s Hospital, and further information campaigns are being undertaken locally to promote the use of these units. The HSE National Director of Acute Hospitals will continue to support the ULH team. The Special Delivery Unit will provide the expertise required to provide both interim and long term sustainable solutions to deal with bed capacity, excessive trolley waits and overcrowding in the ED.