Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 October 2021
102. Deputy Kieran O'Donnell asked the Minister for Health the way the €250 million allocation in Budget 2022 for addressing waiting lists will be disbursed; his plans to assist the HSE in alleviating hospital overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50904/21]
View answerThe Government has provided an additional allocation of €250 million in budget 2022, comprised of €200 million to the HSE and €50 million to the National Treatment Purchase Fund, to reduce hospital and community waiting lists. The additional funding provided to the NTPF brings its total allocation for 2022 to €150 million, and as a consequence there will be a budget of €350 million available to support vital initiatives to improve access to acute hospitals and community health services.
The additional €250 million is being provided from Covid-19 funding and will be used to fund additional activity in the public and private sectors, including expanding access for GPs to diagnostics. It will also be used to fund continuing reforms in the Health Service. These reforms will be set out in a Multi Annual Waiting List Plan, which is currently being finalised. The allocation this funding will be considered as part of the development of the National Service Plan.
The Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) is one of the busiest EDs in the country with 65,824 ED presentations in 2020. I have previously acknowledged that acute bed capacity shortages in the Mid-West was a major contributor to overcrowding at the ED in UHL. The Deputy will be aware, as I have mentioned earlier this evening, of the significant investment in University Hospital Limerick in recent years to address this including a new emergency department which opened in 2017. 132 additional beds have been provided in the past year. These include additional capacity in the new 60-bed ward block; a 24 Bed, single room, Rapid Build Ward; and the reconfigured 14 bed HDU Unit.
The additional beds include a new 60-bed ward block; a 24 Bed, single room, Rapid Build Ward; and the reconfigured 14 bed HDU Unit.
In addition the new 96 bed inpatient ward block project, has now progressed through the detailed design stage and is due to go to tender in the coming weeks.
The HSE is to submit a winter plan to me which will ensure that the health service is prepared for the challenges of Winter 21/22 and will reflect the substantial level of investment being committed to by Government this year and retained in 2022. In addition €22m has been allocated in 2022 for winter initiatives as part of the HSE preparations for winter.
