I propose to take Questions Nos. 672, 673, 711 and 832 together.
The emergency department in UHL has experienced increased attendances and admissions in recent months. These increases, along with the additional pressure Covid has placed on capacity, have resulted in increased Patient Experience Times and usage of trolleys. This is the despite the addition of 150 beds in the UL Hospital Group, 98 of which were in UHL itself, over the past two years.
I am committed to improving emergency department services to the people of the mid-west. I wrote to the CEO of the HSE on 26th April to send in an expert team to ascertain urgently what additional resources might be deployed, as well as any changes that could be made quickly to alleviate the current pressures.
I followed up with the HSE on 4th May specifying the requirement for a specialist team to be sent into UHL right away to very quickly ascertain what the main issues are, the main opportunities for improvement and what additional supports and changes are required. I asked for clarity on the staffing (e.g. consultants) available over the weekend. I also sought details of the level of discharges and diagnostics over the preceding fortnight to identify if there was a change in patterns over the weekend.
I asked to receive a preliminary report by the end of this week. I await the HSE’s response.