Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 6 September 2019
864. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the number of attendances at the emergency department in Cavan General Hospital in each of the years 2012 to 2018 and to date in 2019, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35023/19]
View answerThis is a very busy period for our health services, with many hospitals reporting significant numbers of patient attendances. For the first seven months of 2019, the number of patients attending hospital EDs increased by 3.3%, and the number of ED admissions increased by 2.3% compared to the same period last year.
In the first six months of 2019, our health services managed better and the numbers of patients waiting on trolleys nationally were 4.7% lower than for the same period last year despite the significant increase in demand.
However, TrolleyGAR figures show 8,671 people were counted on trolleys in the month of July, which was 21.8% higher than last month (7,120) and 42.5% higher than July 2018 (6,086). Trolley numbers for the year to date from January to July were 62,413, compared to 62,468 for the same period last year.
With regard to the specific question the Deputy has asked, I have asked the HSE to respond directly with the information requested.
