Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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2470.To ask the Minister for Health if he is aware of recent overcrowding at the emergency department at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda; the reasons for this overcrowding; the steps being taken to alleviate it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33089/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister is acutely aware of the ongoing situation in Emergency Departments across the country, which includes Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. In addition, the Minister receives a daily report on the national ED performance.

We are making progress in reducing the number of patients on trolleys nationwide. There has been a significant reduction in the cumulative daily 8am trolley count over the first six months of 2024, with numbers down 11% when compared to the same period in 2023.

This reduction has been achieved despite an increase in the number of patients presenting to Emergency Departments, with comparative analysis for January to June 2024 versus the same period last year showing a 9% increase in overall attendances.

The UEC Plan 2024/25 includes targeted actions and reform initiatives such as providing additional and extended hours for senior decision makers and staff integral to supporting 7/7 operations and standardising the opening hours of all Injury Units (IUs) to provide a 7-day service, 8am to 8pm including Bank Holidays. One of the pillars of the UEC Plan is hospital avoidance. The continued roll out of the Enhanced Community Care will release pressure on our EDs and ensure people are receiving care in the correct setting.

The Government has provided significant resources to the HSE over the past three years to mitigate the additional pressure on emergency departments.

This investment has delivered 1,182 new acute hospital beds and over 400 community beds. (Community beds are broadly intended to enable people to avoid going into acute hospitals or when admitted to acute hospitals to enable to go home more quickly following a period of rehabilitation. They are usually in model 2 or community hospitals.)

The HSE is currently using c. 160 Private Hospital beds on an ongoing basis for medical and time urgent cases.

We have increased our overall staffing numbers by 28,346 since the beginning of 2020. This includes 9,504 nurses and midwives; 4,250 health and social care professionals; and 3,105 doctors and dentists.