Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 November 2018
610. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Health the amount of extra funding allocated from budget 2019 to address the trolley crisis in Letterkenny University Hospital not taking into account funds allocated to cover the existing overspend in the health budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45134/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is working with the HSE to ensure the most effective response to the winter challenges to unscheduled care provision.
As part of Budget 2019, an additional €10m in funding is being provided in 2018 to enable hospitals to get patients home or to an alternative care setting, as appropriate, before the end of the year, with a focus on supporting patients in the over 75 age group.
I have asked the HSE to ensure that activity in 2019 is planned to manage critical demand pressures, most particularly in respect of increased attendance at emergency departments. This planning will include activity in hospitals, primary care and community care.
€10 million in funding is being made available in 2019 to increase acute bed capacity in line with the recommendations of the Health Service Capacity Review. Increasing capacity is a priority of this Government.
My Department is currently in discussions with the HSE, in the context of the National Service Plan 2019, to identify the sites for investment and the associated number of beds, as part of an agreed capacity programme for 2019.
The selection and opening of beds on specific sites in 2019 and future years will be considered as part of the annual estimates and service planning process, and is subject to financial, operational, human resource and policy considerations and priorities.
