Each year, hospitals are notified of their noncapital allocation and a service plan is drawn up by them and agreed with the Department. This plan sets down parameters for activity for the year and hospitals are required to maintain activity levels within the hospital's agreed parameters. Detailed decisions in relation to hospital spending are a matter for the hospital management. The hospital's chief executive officer advised my Department last week that as part of its service planning within budget they will be closing 31 beds in Our Lady's Ward until the end of the year.
The accident and emergency department at the Mater Hospital provides a 24-hour service. Due to the nature of the work, it is not possible to predict the workload of hospital accident and emergency departments at any particular time. At all times, however, priority is accorded to those patients most in need of immediate medical attention. Because of the unpredictable nature of the workload which may present, it can happen that on occasion patients must be placed in temporary accommodation pending the availability of more appropriate beds. I can assure the Deputy that every effort is made to keep this practice to a minimum.
All patients, whilst in the accident and emergency department, are under the care of medical and nursing staff. Every endeavour is made to make patients as comfortable as possible while they are awaiting a hospital bed. The position regarding accident and emergency departments is monitored by my Department on an ongoing basis. In this regard, I made an additional allocation of £200,000 available to the Mater Hospital at the start of this year to help alleviate any problems which may occur in its accident and emergency department.
