Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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1212. To ask the Minister for Health her plans to ensure that all emergency departments across the State have a safe space for cancer patients, forced to access care through this route. [24446/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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An Acute Haematology Oncology Nursing Service (AHOS) was established in 2020, as a measure to support patients on active cancer treatment who become acutely unwell to avoid ED attendance. This nurse-led service is available in each of the 26 hospitals that provide systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT). Using this service cancer patients, who are on treatment and become unwell with cancer treatment side effects or as an emergency complication from a known cancer diagnosis, can access a clinical nurse specialist via a dedicated hotline number in any of the 26 SACT centres.

In 2024, there were more than 21,000 calls to the service. The majority of calls from patients were managed at home. Of the patients that needed to attend hospital for review, 60% were managed and discharged home the same day and the remaining patients were admitted.

Patients who are advised by the AHOS to present to hospital for review are supported to directly attend the oncology day ward, except where they have symptoms suggestive of an urgent non-oncological medical event. The AHOS staff support patients when they attend for review, whether it is in the day ward or in ED.

In 2025, €0.7m has been allocated to expand the operating hours for this telephone triage service and to continue to support cancer patients to avoid unnecessary ED attendance. This will support the recruitment of additional staff to the AHOS in the SACT centres and will support the resilience of the service.