I propose to take Questions Nos. 475, 476, 492, 510 and 524 together.
As the Deputy knows, this Government has an ambitious programme of reform which includes institutional reforms and economic incentives which will make health care providers truly accountable for delivering patient centred care. I can assure the Deputy that I have the commitment and determination to deliver this agenda. I do not consider it acceptable that a patient should wait five days in an emergency department (ED) and in order to tackle unacceptably long waiting times in EDs I established the Special Delivery Unit (SDU). The aim of the SDU is to unblock access to acute services by improving the flow of patients through the system. The SDU is focusing initially on EDs and is working to support hospitals in addressing excessive waiting times for admission to hospital.
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda is working across a number of levels to reduce the time patients wait on trolleys in the ED and the Clinical Director and Group General Manager are fully engaged with the SDU in this regard. The SDU has visited emergency departments and conducted a data analysis. It has identified a number of hospitals providing unscheduled care that require support. Eight of these hospitals require very high support including Our Lady of Lourdes Drogheda. As part of the process of engagement with the SDU these hospitals have prepared plans setting out measures that could be taken quickly in the hospital and/or closely related community setting that would significantly relieve pressure on the ED by, for example, addressing delayed discharges.
Following consideration and as part of the overall process of SDU engagement the proposals put forward in relation to Our Lady of Lourdes Drogheda will be supported, with some short-term once off funding in the initial phase. This funding support is subject to a number of conditions being met including satisfactory implementation of the Acute Medicine Programme.
The particular incident raised by the Deputy related to a patient who presented to the Emergency Department of Our Lady Of Lourdes with symptoms unrelated to TB. In all the patient spent five days in the Emergency Department. During his time in the Emergency Department, the patient was given a chest x-ray and was found to have TB. Following the discovery of TB appropriate isolation and treatment commenced. During the period that the patient spent in the ED three patients were identified as potentially having had contact for more than 10 hours with the person concerned. These patients have been contacted, counselled and offered testing for TB. All staff with potential contact have been offered counselling and TB testing. This HSE is satisfied that the incident has been appropriately handled from an infection control, and contact tracing point of view and it is very important that any public concern in this regard be allayed.
Finally, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), as the Deputy will be aware, is currently engaged with Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in relation to the hospital's ED. Under this arrangement HIQA may make impromptu visits to the hospital. The Authority recently made one such visit to the hospital. I also understand that a meeting was held with HIQA last month at which ED and other issues relating to Our Lady of Lourdes were discussed.