Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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871. To ask the Minister for Health if prior warning of her visit to University Hospital Limerick was given; and whether trollies and patients were hidden from sight during her visit. [14221/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Emergency Department (ED) at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) continues to manage high volumes of presentations for unscheduled and emergency care. ED presentations at UHL for the first two months of the year are at almost 14,500 and increase of 4% on the same time last year with admissions up 3%.

To meet the high demand in UHL there has been considerable investment in the region with the expansion of facilities in Croom Orthopaedic Hospital, a 96-bed block due for completion this year with plans for another block in the planning phase and there has been an increase in UHL’s workforce of over 1,060 whole-time equivalents since the end of 2019.

In line with the hospital avoidance pillar of the 2024-2026 UEC Operational plan, there has been a focus on alternative pathways for patient care to alleviate the pressure on emergency departments. Specifically, the Pathfinder programme and Alternative Pre-Hospital Pathway, a collaboration between the National Ambulance Service and allied health workers that support patients receiving care at home rather than in the emergency department.

Furthermore, the expansion of GP Out of Hours services, the standardisation Injury Unit opening hours and the expansion of Specialised Care in the Community teams provide viable alternatives to the emergency department where suitable.

Improvements with emergency departments operations, the second pillar of the UEC 2024-2026 Plan, are being enacted through the expansion of the POCC which provides for senior decision makers onsite improving discharges and patient flow for admitted patients.