Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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746. To ask the Minister for Health the measures being taken to reduce waiting times at the accident and emergency department of Naas General Hospital. [15304/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I would like to assure the deputy that every measure is being taken to reduce the waiting times in our Emergency Departments (ED’s), including Naas General Hospital.

We are making great progress in reducing the number of patients on trolleys nationwide. There was a significant reduction in the cumulative daily 8am trolley count in 2024, with 13,000 fewer patients waiting (down 11%) when compared to 2023. Equally, fewer patients experienced long waits in ED’s in 2024, with the number of patients waiting more than 24 hours in ED’s nationally falling by nearly 4% compared to 2023. This reduction has been achieved despite a significant increase in the number of patients presenting to ED’s, particularly in the cohort of patients aged 75 years and older. This progress is being driven by the ongoing implementation of the Urgent and Emergency Care Operational Plan 2024 – 25, which was presented to Government in July last year. Amongst the initiatives involved in the plan are:

• GP Out of Hours Work with GP Out of Hours Services to maintain/increase GP OOH contacts and reduce the level of GP OOH referrals to EDs
• NAS Care Pathways Maximize usage of existing NAS alternative care pathways
• Injury Units to provide a 7-day service, 8am to 8pm including Bank Holidays
• Providing additional and extended hours for senior decision makers and staff integral to supporting 7/7 operations