Violet-Anne Wynne
Question:27. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health his views on the accessibility to acute care in the mid-west region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40655/23]
View answerThursday, 21 September 2023
Questions (27)
Written answers
The Government is committed to improving access to acute services in the Mid-West region.
Funding of €5.2m was allocated this year to the Medical Assessment Units (MAUs) in the three Model 2 hospitals within the UL Hospital Group. As a result, these MAUs are now operating 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Since 2019, a programme of capital investment and recruitment is in progress and 98 new inpatient beds have been added since January 2021. In addition, work on a new €90 million, 96-bed inpatient block at UHL began in October 2022. Additional works on a second 96-bed inpatient block is planned. The overall number of WTE positions in UHL has increased by 34% between 2019 and 2023.
This investment is having an immediate impact on service delivery. The HSE has advised that in the last year, the number of patients waiting over 18 months for an OPD appointment reduced by 89% in UHL and by 97% in Ennis Hospital. In addition, St. John's Hospital has reduced the number of patients waiting for an OPD appointment by 45%. Attendance at ULHG was 10.5% higher in 2023 than in 2019. Patients counted on trolleys at 8am cumulatively for the period January to August 2023 was down 23.4% compared to the same period in 2019.
Overcrowding in hospitals and long waiting times for scheduled care causes distress to patients, their families and frontline staff. We continue to engage extensively with the HSE on these challenges.