Éamon Ó Cuív
Ceist:35. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health the reason for the significant overcrowding in the emergency department in University Hospital Galway during April 2019 [20823/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 15 May 2019
Ceisteanna (35)
Freagraí scríofa
The Winter Plan 2018/19, recognising the multiple factors across the health service that impact on Emergency Department performance, included a range of measures to support patients accessing services in the community and in hospitals. Planning for Winter 2019/20 has already commenced, with a review of performance over the Winter Period currently underway to ensure that the lessons learned from this year inform future plans.
With regard to University Hospital Galway, for the first quarter of 2019, in comparison to 2018, the number of patients attending the Emergency Department increased by 8.4% and the number of patients admitted decreased by 0.3%. The number of patients recorded on trolleys at 8am reduced by 7.9%.
Unfortunately, the improved trolley performance did not continue into April and provisional TrolleyGAR data highlights that the number of patients waiting on trolleys in University Hospital Galway increased from 643 in April 2018 to 783 in April 2019.
Data in relation to attendance and admissions for April is not available at this time. However, the HSE has advised that hospitals are reporting very high levels of demand, high patient acuity and high bed occupancy, especially in the over 75-year-old cohort of patients. In addition, delayed discharges are above the expected activity threshold set out in the National Service Plan and Hospitals and Community Health Organisations are reporting constrained options for supported discharges, particularly in relation to home support and long-term care.
Building upon the actions in the Winter Plan, and to meet the ongoing operational challenges, robust planning arrangements were put in place for the Easter and May bank holiday weekends by Hospital Groups and Community Health Organisations, and efforts are continuing to build upon the improved performance achieved nationally and in Galway University Hospital in the first three months of the year.