Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 April 2023
69. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Health to discuss the steps being taken to address the capacity challenge at University Hospital Limerick, where, in March 2023, 2,080 patients were treated on hospital trolleys; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17863/23]
View answerA range of measures are being taken to improve emergency department performance and capacity at UHL. Two new Emergency Medicine consultants have started, bringing the number to 11 WTEs, as well as additional ED registrars and discharge co-ordinators to target patient flow. ED admission-avoidance for over-75s has been enhanced by the opening of the new Geriatric Emergency Medicine (GEM) unit, funded through the HSE Winter Plan. There is also additional staffing for the OPTIMEND service, which provides multidisciplinary assessment and intervention to the 75 years and older patient cohort in the ED.
There has also been, and continues to be, substantial investment in University of Limerick Hospital Group. In October 2022, I broke ground on the new 96-bed inpatient block project at University Hospital Limerick. This €90m capital project will deliver a 4-storey, 96 single bed acute inpatient ward block, which will go some way toward addressing capacity issues in the region. In 2021, a new 60-bed modular ward block opened at UHL, which provides modern, single-room inpatient accommodation with improved infection prevention and control capabilities as well as patient flow throughout the hospital. This follows the completion of two separate rapid-build projects which provided an additional 38 inpatient beds on site at UHL.
In December 2022, the Government approved the next stage of the Enhanced Provision of Elective Care Programme. As part of this Programme, new national Elective Hospitals will be delivered in Cork, Dublin, and Galway. The new Hospitals will provide significant additional capacity, enabling the separation of scheduled and unscheduled care. It is envisaged that the new Cork and Galway facilities combined (which will treat patients from the mid-west and beyond) will cater for up to 350,000 patients/procedures annually.
Complimentary to the Elective Care Programme, the HSE is also planning to progress proposals to address waiting lists in the shorter term by developing ‘Surgical Hubs’ in Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Dublin with a narrower scope of procedures. Planning for the Surgical Hubs is at an early stage with HSE close to finalising sites at the determined locations and progressing design works. I have asked the HSE to expedite their development so that they are operational as soon as possible.
In addition to these measures, the UL Hospital Group, in collaboration with the National Ambulance Service, have implemented a new protocol which enables patients who meet agreed clinical criteria to be conveyed directly to a Medical Assessment Unit rather than being brought to an ED. This protocol was rolled out at Ennis Hospital on 9th January and extended to Nenagh Hospital on 7th February, with further roll-out of the protocol planned for St John’s Hospital later in the year.
To further enhance the functionality of this facility, UL Hospitals Group has been approved for funding of €5.2m. This funding has secured the already extended weekend service at Ennis MAU and allows for St John’s and Nenagh MAU to open seven days per week.
My Department continues to work closely with the HSE to ensure that the UL Hospitals Group is fully supported and that the necessary improvements to address capacity in the region are actioned in a timely manner.
