The Tanaiste and Minister for Health, Ms Harney today said the newly built Ballymun Health Centre will open "in a matter of weeks" and vowed that a measurable improvement in accident and emergency services will be seen next winter.
"A litmus test of how we are progressing will be accident and emergency services. I want people to see measurable improvements as the year moves on. Next year I do not want to see a situation where up to 400 patients, which was the case just over a week ago, are waiting to get access a bed," Ms Harney said.
"That is unacceptable to me, it is unacceptable to the patients and it is unacceptable to the Government."
Speaking on RTE radio this morning Ms Harney said procurement issues which delayed the opening of the Ballymun Centre were had now been resolved. "I have given the go ahead for that facility to be opened and it will be opened as quickly as it logistically can."
Discussing the shortage of acute hospital beds, Ms Harney said she was under "no illusion that there are major issues facing our health service, particularly at this time of year, when we have got the winter vomiting bug, or a flu epidemic".
She said adverts were published today in the European Journalinviting tenders for the provision of 500 step down beds annually "for those who don't require to be the acute hospital at the moment and can be in a more appropriate setting". She said the provision of these extra beds would take and enormous amount of pressure off the acute hospital system.
This was one of ten initiatives announced by the Minister at the publication of the Budget estimates last November to deal with the recalcitrant problem of lines of patients on trolleys in accident and emergency units due to a lack of free beds.
The plan was announced as part of a by 9.9 per cent to €11 billion in health funding for the year. Some €450 million of the extra spending is ear-marked for staff pay.
Other measures included in the Minister's plan to relieved pressure on accident and emergency units are:
- Development and expansion of minor injury units, chest pain clinics and respiratory clinics in hospitals to relieve pressure on Accident and Emergency departments.
- The provision of acute medical units for non-surgical patients at Tallaght, St. Vincent's and Beaumont Hospitals.
- The transfer of 100 high dependency patients to suitable private nursing home care. The scope for using greater numbers of private nursing home beds to alleviate pressure on acute hospitals will also be actively pursued
- Expanded home care packages to support 500 additional older people at home.
- Provision of more out of hours GP services in order to keep people's need to attend Accident and Emergency to a minimum.
- Dedicated cleaning services and security measures for Accident and Emergency departments.
- Measures to enhance direct access for GPs to diagnostic services.