Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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164. To ask the Minister for Health the steps being taken to address the overcrowding of the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick and to mitigate against the increased number of patients presenting at the emergency department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50769/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Government has provided a significant investment of €1.2bn in budget 2021 to expand capacity, increases services and support reform and this level of investment is being maintained in budget 2022.  An additional €22m is also being allocated in to enhance specific additional winter initiatives in 2022.  UL Hospitals Group and Community Healthcare Mid-West have formalised a governance structure to deliver on the investment in community care, hospital avoidance, chronic disease and older persons.

The Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) is one of the busiest EDs in the country with 65,824 ED presentations in 2020. The UL Hospital Group advised that they continue to follow the escalation plan, which includes additional ward rounds, accelerating discharges and identifying patients for transfer to their Model 2 hospitals. 

It is acknowledged that acute bed capacity shortages in the Mid-West are a major contributor to overcrowding at the ED in UHL. The provision of 132 additional beds in UHL HG over the past year has been a significant step in addressing this.

This includes a new 60 bed block, providing modern, single-room inpatient accommodation. As well improving patient experience in terms of comfort, privacy, and dignity; it improves infection prevention and control capabilities, including better isolation of patients and improved patient flow at the hospital.

UHL also added a 24 Bed, single room, Rapid Build Ward; and the reconfigured 14 bed HDU Unit to accommodate Thrombosis & Coagulation.

In addition the new 96 bed inpatient ward block project has now progressed through the detailed design stage and is due to go to tender in the coming weeks.

An increase in daily patient slots in the Medical Assessment Unit at Ennis Hospital is enabling

GPs to refer an additional 48 patients every week and further reduce pressure on the

Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick.