Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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156. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding overcrowding in Kerry General Hospital (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39860/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I can assure the Deputy that emergency department overcrowding is a key priority issue for the Government. In that regard, the ED Taskforce Implementation Group, co-chaired by the Director General of the HSE, is charged with ensuring that all relevant areas of the health service, including acute, social and primary care optimise resources to deal with the challenges arising. Significant progress has been made to date on the overall ED Taskforce plan, including a steady reduction in delayed discharges from hospital (577 on 10 November 2015, down from 830 in Dec 2014). The wait time for Nursing Home Subvention Scheme funding has been reduced from 11 weeks at the beginning of the year to between 2 to 4 weeks. This progress has been allied with increased provision for transitional care funding, home care packages and nursing home beds.

In preparation for the 2015/16 winter period, hospital groups have provided comprehensive winter resilience plans to the HSE, outlining how they will implement an integrated approach across primary, community, social and acute services to manage winter pressures. This approach is intended both to avoid unnecessary admissions to acute hospitals and to expedite discharges from hospital efficiently. Within hospitals themselves, a total of 129 beds which had been closed for refurbishment or for infection control purposes during 2015 are to be re-opened by the end of November.

A further 301 beds are being added to support the acute hospital system over the winter period across various locations, including Cork, Limerick, Drogheda, Galway and North Dublin - all areas which are regularly identified in the media as pressure points for the delivery of emergency care.

€18min funding has been provided to support these developments. The opening of additional capacity is contingent on staff recruitment and, at some sites, the completion of minor building works within very stringent timeframes.

Emergency Department Priority Actions

In addition the Groups and CHO’s are implementing the priority actions in the ED Task Force Plan to enable sustainable change. These include:

- Strong centralised operational processes within hospitals to drive bed management and discharge planning, such as – 'home by 11'; 7 day discharges; transfers to model 2 hospitals;

- Consistent access to senior decision making within ED to ensure appropriate admission and to enable effective discharge management on a 7 day basis;

- Timely and appropriate access to diagnostics;

- Delegated discharge and enhanced roles for nursing including expansion of ANP roles within ED – nurse prescribing;

- Achievement of the agreed targets for delayed discharges – 500 at national level;

- Effective management of demand and capacity requirements in relation to scheduled and unscheduled care; and

- Appropriate structures within Hospitals and with local community services to ensure an integrated and timely response to continuing care needs.

All hospitals have escalation plans to manage not only patient flow but also patient safety in a responsive, controlled and planned way that supports and ensures the delivery of optimum patient care.

I note that the emergency department in Kerry General Hospital has had some peak activity in recent weeks. As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to investigate activity levels and trends in the emergency department in Kerry General Hospital and respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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157. To ask the Minister for Health the further actions that will be taken by the Health Service Executive to reduce the number of patients on trolleys in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda in County Louth; if he is aware of the significant concerns, locally, for the patients and staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39861/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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ED overcrowding is a key priority issue for the Government. Significant progress has been made to date on the overall ED Taskforce plan, with reductions in delayed discharges and waiting times for NHSS funding, allied with increased provision for transitional care funding, home care packages and nursing home beds.

In preparation for the 2015/16 winter period, hospital groups have provided comprehensive winter resilience plans to the HSE, outlining how they will implement an integrated approach across primary, community, social and acute services to manage winter pressures. This approach is intended both to avoid unnecessary admissions to acute hospitals and to expedite discharges from hospital efficiently. Within hospitals themselves, a total of 129 beds which had been closed for refurbishment or for infection control purposes during 2015 are to be re-opened by the end of November.

A further 301 beds are being added to support the acute hospital system over the winter period across various locations, including Cork, Limerick, Drogheda, Galway and North Dublin - all areas which are regularly identified in the media as pressure points for the delivery of emergency care.

€18min funding has been provided to support these developments. The opening of additional capacity is contingent on staff recruitment and, at some sites, the completion of minor building works within very stringent timeframes.

Emergency Department Priority Actions

In addition the Groups and CHO’s are implementing the priority actions in the ED Task Force Plan to enable sustainable change. These include:

- Strong centralised operational processes within hospitals to drive bed management and discharge planning, such as – 'home by 11'; 7 day discharges; transfers to model 2 hospitals;

- Consistent access to senior decision making within ED to ensure appropriate admission and to enable effective discharge management on a 7 day basis;

- Timely and appropriate access to diagnostics;

- Delegated discharge and enhanced roles for nursing including expansion of ANP roles within ED – nurse prescribing;

- Achievement of the agreed targets for delayed discharges – 500 at national level;

- Effective management of demand and capacity requirements in relation to scheduled and unscheduled care; and

- Appropriate structures within Hospitals and with local community services to ensure an integrated and timely response to continuing care needs.

All hospitals have escalation plans to manage not only patient flow but also patient safety in a responsive, controlled and planned way that supports and ensures the delivery of optimum patient care.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.