Letterkenny hospital beds
Pearse Doherty highlighted persistent trolley overcrowding and an empty 19-bed ward at Letterkenny University Hospital. The Taoiseach passed the reply to Minister of State Jim Daly, who said bed openings were being reviewed, additional beds had already been opened and further openings were under consideration with winter funding available.
When the Minister, Deputy Harris, apologised to the 600 patients who were left on trolleys earlier this year he said he was the Minister with a plan, he had the resources and he was going to build capacity. A total of 458 patients are on trolleys and in wards today as I speak, including 21 in my county hospital of Letterkenny, there having been 20 patients on trolleys last Friday and 30 patients on trolleys last Wednesday. The reason I raised this matter is that a 19-bed ward in Letterkenny University Hospital is lying empty. The hospital management asked last year for resources to reopen that 19 short-stay bed ward, yet the Government and the HSE have turned a blind eye to a capacity issue that can be quickly addressed. As a former Minister for Health and the leader of this Government, will the Taoiseach intervene to make sure the €1.8 million required is made available in order that we can increase the capacity and take patients off trolleys and accommodate them in proper beds in Letterkenny University Hospital?
Comment on this
I am aware of the issue. My colleague seated to my right, the Minister of State, Deputy McHugh, has discussed that matter on a number of occasions. As Deputy Doherty will be aware, a bed capacity review has just been completed. We are identifying and working with the HSE to open up beds in as many places as possible and, in particular, we are identifying those that are ready to go.
Comment on this
Those beds were ready to go a year ago.
Comment on this
I ask the Deputy to let me finish. We have to do this in a holistic way. We cannot go around just picking bits and pieces. We have already opened 200 additional full-time beds this winter which are separate from transitional step-down care beds. We will continue that programme and we hope to do so in the coming year. By April of this year the HSE had submitted a series of suggested openings for us, which are currently being considered. As the Deputy will be aware, funding of €40 million has been made available as part of the winter initiative to open beds specifically to deal with the trolley crisis.