Pressures on EDs have been rising, as the population is both growing and ageing. To date, the HSE has reported an average increase in ED attendances of nearly 6% compared with the same period last year.
Despite the sustained increase in attendances, overall this year there has been a decrease of just over 7% in the number of patients who have had to wait on a trolley, in comparison with the same period in 2015.
ED performance has been improving due to a combination of coordinated initiatives. These include reducing patient attendances at EDs by developing alternative primary care services, such as Community Intervention Teams and Primary Care Centres and increasing hospital capacity by opening or reopening 374 additional beds and employing more than 750 nurses and almost 80 consultants.
Further initiatives have also focused on reducing delayed discharges from hospitals, and improving how hospitals manage surges in demand for emergency care.
In order to progress the Government’s commitment to reducing ED wait times for patients, on 8 June I announced funding of €40 million for a “Winter Initiative”, €10m of which has been ring-fenced for homecare services.
My Department and the HSE are currently working to finalise a proposal to support initiatives across primary care, acute hospitals and social care, all directed towards reducing winter pressure on EDs.
Further, the Programme for a Partnership Government commits to a number of initiatives intended to contribute to alleviating ED overcrowding, such as a review of bed capacity and a review of the hours of service of Medical Assessment and similar units.
