Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 2 Jul 1996

Vol. 467 No. 7

Written Answers. - Beaumont (Dublin) Hospital.

Seán Haughey

Question:

105 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Health the concerns, if any, he has regarding patient delays in the accident and emergency department of Beaumont Hospital, Dublin; the further concerns, if any, he has regarding the shortage of beds in this hospital; the measures, if any, he is taking to improve this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14246/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): The accident and emergency department of Beaumont Hospital provides a 24-hour service.

Due to the nature of the work, it is not possible to predict the workload of hospital accident and emergency departments at any particular time. At all times, however, priority is accorded to those patients most in need of immediate medical attention. Because of the unpredictable nature of the workload which may present, it can happen that on occasion patients must be placed in temporary accommodation pending the availability of more appropriate beds. I can assure the Deputy that every effort is made to keep this practice to a minimum.

All patients, whilst in the accident and emergency department, are under the care of medical and nursing staff. Every endeavour is made to make patients as comfortable as possible and this includes the provision of food to patients while they are awaiting a hospital bed. The position regarding the accident and emergency departments is monitored by my Department on an ongoing basis. In this regard, for the winter of 1995-96 measures amounting to £2.5 million have been adopted to alleviate problems experienced by the Dublin accident and emergency hospitals, including Beaumont Hospital. The measures adopted were as follows: a 25 bed elderly care unit opened in Peamount Hospital in December 1995; 40 additional nursing home places in private nursing homes were made available; three new community ward teams for the elderly were approved; a 25 bed unit for the chronically disabled in Cherry Orchard Hospital opened at the start of February 1996 and a 46 bed community unit for the elderly on the Navan Road opened in the middle of February 1996.

In the six accident and emergency hospitals in Dublin a number of measures were taken including: the opening of extra beds; additional staff recruited; medical equipment grants were approved for A & E departments and observation facilities were opened.

A public education campaign on the appropriate use of accident and emergency services was launched on 15 January 1996. In the case of Beaumont Hospital, there have been a number of occasions when, owing to pressure in the accident and emergency department some patients have experienced delays in being admitted to a hospital bed. A number of initiatives have been taken in order to improve bed management in the hospital. These include a review of the Hospital's Discharge Policy; the opening of St. Paul's observation ward the introduction of a regular bed audi to ensure efficient bed turnover and tighter control of the admission and dis charge policies for the five-day wards so that these beds are protected for elective admissions as far as possible.

I would like to assure the Deputy of my continuing concern that the accident and emergency hospitals in Dublin are enabled to respond effectively to the demands placed upon them and I will continue to monitor the situation with view to taking further action if required.