Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 September 2023
25. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Health to outline the measures that are being taken to fill the 51.4 WTE vacancies across medical assessment services at model 2 hospitals at St John's, Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals; the timeline that is being considered to put staff in these posts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40716/23]
View answerThe HSE has advised that €5.2m funding has been approved for the three Mid-West Medical Assessment Units. This funding has secured the already extended weekend service at Ennis Hospital. It allows for Medical Assessment Units at St John’s and Nenagh to open seven days per week.
Recruitment is ongoing for an additional 51.45 Whole-Time Equivalent vacancies. This includes doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, social care professionals and administrative staff. University of Limerick Hospitals Group has made positive progress on this recruitment. Across the three Medical Assessment Units, 17.7 of these vacancies are now filled and a further 11.5 will be taking up post shortly. The remainder are in various stages of the recruitment process.
As more staff take up post, slots for medical assessment will increase. Once all are recruited, there will be over 7,000 more assessment slots annually.
In 2022, more than 12,700 patients were referred to these Medical Assessment Units. In recent weeks this has increased considerably. In the fortnight to September 17th, 753 patients attended these Medical Assessment Units. This represents an increase from 35 to 54 daily attendances.
People in the Mid-West are already benefiting from medical assessment closer to home. This helps address Emergency Department avoidance, and ensures appropriate community referrals.
