Written answers

Thursday, 3 December 2015

Department of Health

Hospital Accommodation Provision

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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226. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which the extra accommodation available at Naas General Hospital in County Kildare has been recommissioned, with a view to alleviating overcrowding and trolley occupation in lieu of beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43442/15]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Last December I convened the ED Taskforce to assist in dealing with the challenges presented by ED overcrowding. Significant progress has been made to date on the ED Taskforce Plan implementation.

Additional funding of €117m has been provided in 2015 to relieve pressures on acute hospitals including reducing delayed discharges, lowering the waiting time for Fair Deal funding and providing additional transitional care beds and home care packages. Funding has been made available to support the acute hospital system over the winter period by providing additional bed capacity and other initiatives to support access to care.

All hospitals, including Naas 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 co-signed the ED Congestion Escalation Directive recently to ensure that progress made to date on overcrowding is sustained and deepened. The Directive requires hospitals to implement their Escalation Plan whenever the Emergency Department experiences overcrowding and it is expected that this will add to the progress made on overcrowding so far. The Plan makes it compulsory for each acute hospital to take specific steps to address overcrowding such as extra ward rounds if trolley figures reach ‘red’ status as set out on the daily reports from the SDU. It also requires each hospital to take steps if any patient is left on a trolley for more than nine hours, the recommended maximum waiting time.

Capital investment in Naas Hospital in recent years has provided a new Central Sterile Stores Department, Minor Injuries Unit, Acute Medical Assessment Unit and an MRI service. The HSE is currently developing a substantial infrastructure project at Naas General Hospital which includes a new endoscopy unit. This project also incorporates the development of the Physical Medicine (Physiotherapy & Occupational Therapy) Departments and Oncology Departments. Other recent developments include the refurbishment of a ward to protect Day Services which will result in 11 additional beds being available to accommodate overcrowding in the Emergency Department.

In relation to the specific query about measures that Naas general Hospital has taken to alleviate ED overcrowding, 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.

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