Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 October 2023
266. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Health the measures that have been taken since 2020 to improve capacity within community health services in the mid-west to take pressure off the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick; the reasons that such measures have been unable to avoid the high number of presentations at University Hospital Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45567/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI remain concerned about overcrowding in the Emergency Department in Limerick, and acknowledge the distress this can cause to patients, their families and front-line staff. I am continuing work with the University of Limerick Hospital Group and HSE on addressing these challenges.
The Government is committed to improving services and capacity as a whole in the Mid-West region, and has made considerable investment in the region, including capital projects to increase capacity.
Under the Smaller Hospitals Framework, smaller Model 2 hospitals are providing high-volume and low-complexity care. This is ensuring people can access care, delivered safely and sustainably, often closer to home.
Ennis and Nenagh Model 2 Hospitals and St John's Model 2S Hospital are playing a pivotal role in delivering high-quality patient care in the Mid-West, and are accepting transfers of appropriate patients from University Hospital Limerick on a daily basis. Further funding of €5.2m was allocated in 2023 to Medical Assessment Units in these three hospitals, which now operate 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. These Units help address Emergency Department avoidance, and ensure appropriate community referrals.
As of August this year, all three hospitals also accept 112/999 patients. This means that patients who meet agreed clinical criteria can be transferred by ambulance and treated in these hospitals. This will reduce the number of people presenting at Emergency Departments. It will also release ambulances more quickly to serve other calls.
Furthermore, there have been a number of capital projects completed in the Mid-West region since 2020, including a 24 Bed Rapid Build Ward at Croom Orthopaedic Hospital, a second 24 Bed Rapid Build Ward at University Hospital Limerick, 16 single rooms and 4 double rooms Ward Block extension and refurbishment programme at Mid-Western Regional Hospital Nenagh, and a new 60 bed ward block University Hospital Limerick.
Further progress continues with a 96-bed ward block development at University Hospital Limerick, currently under construction. In parallel, works are advancing to facilitate a second ward 96-bed ward block at University Hospital Limerick.
A range of other projects across the mid-west region in acute and community settings are in train and outlined in the Capital Plan 2023.
