Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

73. To ask the Minister for Health his views on whether the level of emergency department provision in the UL Hospital Group area is adequate for the population catchment of the group both in overall terms and in those of the demographic make-up. [23540/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy will be aware, a new Emergency Department was opened at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) on the 29th of May 2017.  The €24 million development aimed to provide UHL with increased capacity for emergency medicine to meet the demands of population growth, changing service models and to improve efficiency targets. 

UHL was identified as a focus site under the Winter Initiative in terms of ED congestion.  As such, UHL has put in place improvement plans setting out specific mitigating actions to improve patient flow and improve processes in the ED.  In addition, 17 short-stay beds were opened in UHL under the Winter Initiative, and the Hospital Group was also supported over the recent winter months with additional home support packages and transitional care beds. UHL is now fully engaged with the National Patient Flow Improvement Project, as a pilot site, to further improve processes within the hospital.   

Since its opening in 2017, the new ED at UL has seen 5.6% more activity. International evidence indicates that when facilities such as UL open, there is a corresponding increase in attendances. Reflecting this trend, UHL had the second highest number of ED attendances in the first four months of 2018, a  rise of 11.3%,  and a 7.9% rise in admissions, as compared to the same period last year.   In relation to persons over the age of 75, UHL also experienced a rise of 15.5% in attendances and a 16.7% rise in admissions between January and April 2018.    The combination of these factors contributed to the 13.7% increase in trolley numbers in the first months of the year, notwithstanding performance improvement initiatives by UHL and increased investment in capacity over the winter months.   

As Minister for Health, I am committed to continuing the effort to address overcrowding in our Emergency Departments, and in particular, the capacity of the system to respond during periods of peak demand,   In this context, I have asked my Department to work with the HSE to identify the location and mix of beds across the hospital system, which can be opened and staffed this year and into 2019 in order to improve preparedness for Winter 2018/2019.    A submission  received from the HSE in this regard, which includes proposals in relation to UHL, is currently under consideration by my Department.