While the zero-trolley policy is putting a certain gloss on trolley numbers in UHL, it is absolutely failing Ennis Hospital. In any year, although we bemoan it, we expect elective surgeries to be cancelled for a few weeks around the Christmas period in Ennis Hospital. This year, however, elective surgeries were cancelled from 27 July onwards. In nine weeks, there has only been elective surgery in Ennis Hospital for four days. That is unforgivable. It means the theatre nurses are reassigned to the medical wards of the hospital. Guess what? The consultants, who are on public contracts, have no patient lists to see. They are effectively on golf leave for nine weeks. It is absurd. It is failing the region. It is disproportionate. In Nenagh Hospital, elective surgeries are allowed. UHL has elective surgery. There are no elective surgeries in Ennis Hospital. I am asking for this protocol to be reversed.

As I said, in other years, we had this protocol for a small period. This year, we have already well exceeded the 42 days of cancellations of elective surgery of 2023. We started cancelling surgeries in July. It is unforgivable. We have to row back on this protocol urgently for the sake of public healthcare in Clare.

I thank the Deputy for his question and the issues he raised. There was a Private Members’ motion tabled by Sinn Féin last night in respect of this situation in the mid-west and the challenges in UHL and the surrounding hospitals. A debate was held here where the Ministers, Deputies Donnelly and Burke, and I were present. Many issues are trying to be dealt with in UHL at the moment. One of the issues is that elective surgeries were cancelled in the hospital during August. I will raise what the Deputy has said with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. I will ask for a written response for him.