David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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206. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to open a prefab at University Hospital Waterford, UWH, to provide additional beds at the hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10892/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the Winter Initiative Plan which the HSE launched in September last year, provided €40 million of additional funding for winter preparedness and to manage the expected surge in demand for hospital care in an integrated way across Primary, Acute and Social Care.

As part of this the HSE put in place a National Framework for the provision of temporary alternative accommodation, as just one part of a broad range of measures undertaken to alleviate pressure on our Emergency Departments. Under the Framework, the HSE has advised that consideration will be given to managed temporary patient accommodation solutions which are staffed. The next stage will be for a mini-tender to be coordinated in the coming weeks to request proposals in relation to temporary patient accommodation solutions.

It is open to hospitals to submit applications within the guidelines as set out in this Framework.