Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael)
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121. To ask the Minister for Health the measures he is taking to reduce the overcrowding in the accident and emergency department in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8782/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The ED Taskforce Implementation Group is overseeing the implementation of a range of initiatives to tackle ED overcrowding. These include:

a) Measures to reduce the numbers of patients attending hospital

A number of measures have been introduced to reduce the numbers of patients attending hospital, by improving access to primary and community care services.

b) Measures to expand hospital capacity

The second category of measures to alleviate ED overcrowding has focussed on expanding hospital capacity. In June 2015, €18m additional funding was made available to the HSE under the Winter Additional Capacity Initiative to increase hospital bed capacity. This initiative has facilitated the opening of 246 new hospital beds and the reopening of 116 previously closed beds, giving a total of 364 additional beds in our hospital system. Measures are also being implemented to expand hospital capacity, through the recruitment of additional hospital staff.

c) Measures to support timely patient discharge from hospital

Measures to facilitate timely discharge of patients from hospitals are also in place. The Nursing Homes Support Scheme has been a key measure in reducing delayed discharges. To further achieve improvements in the number of delayed discharges from hospitals, the HSE is in the process of establishing a Bed Bureau for the greater Dublin area.

d) Measures to enhance hospitals’ responsiveness to increased demand for emergency care

The final category of measures to alleviate ED overcrowding are those which seek to improve hospital processes and responsiveness to increased demand for emergency care. In November 2015, with the HSE Director General, a National Emergency Department Escalation Framework was issued to provide direction to hospitals on how best to manage capacity and patient flow at times when there is a surge in demand for emergency care.

In respect of specific overcrowding issues in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, 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.