Special Delivery Unit intent on reducing the number of people on trolleys and problems associated with in-patient waiting lists
Fine Gael Cork South Central TD, Jerry Buttimer, has welcomed the news that funding worth €429,800 has been approved for Cork University Hospital by the Special Delivery Unit, which will help to alleviate the trolley problem in its emergency department over the busy winter season.
“This is very positive news for Cork University Hospital, which has one of the busiest emergency departments in the country. The Special Delivery Unit (SDU) was set up by the Minister for Health, James Reilly, earlier this year, with a mission to alleviate the trolley problem in hospitals around the country. Eight hospitals – which account for 60% of the trolley figures – are being prioritised, including Cork University Hospital.
“The SDU has been engaging with hospital management and the HSE in a bid to tackle this problem. Now, using money originally provided for the National Treatment Purchase Fund, the SDU has approved a range of measures that should help to counteract the seasonal logjam in our emergency departments.
“In CUH, supports worth €429,800 have been approved which will see community support beds reinstated, extra diagnostics, nursing supports and a cardiac technician for a chest pain assessment unit. An additional ambulance will also be available from Mon to Fri from 8am to 6pm, and at the weekend from mid November to January 2012 to allow for more early discharges.
“These support measures which will allow for the addition of an average of 20 beds by mid November, rising to 35 in December will make a real difference to patients presenting at CUH. Extra diagnostics which include six MRI slots, twelve ultrasounds and twenty CT scans per day will further reduce admissions and waiting times, as will the extra diagnostics to support the Acute Medical Unit.
“I would like to commend Minister Reilly for his work on this initiative. Similar measures have been approved for all eight hospitals that are contributing so significantly to the high number of patients on trolleys. It is up to each hospital to ensure they are keeping up with their end of the bargain by progress implementation of the HSE’s Acute Medicine Programme and ensuring that the hospital has seven day discharge rounds. I have no doubt that if everyone plays their part we can reduce our trolley numbers considerably and have more manageable hospitals during the busy winter period.”