I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Flood Risk Management
Naturally enough, I will speak of the tough time people in north Louth, on the Cooley Peninsula and in certain parts of Dundalk had last week. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, and the Minister for Community and Rural Development, Deputy Humphreys. Both were on the phone to me straight away. The Minister promised that the humanitarian assistance scheme would be opened immediately.
The Minister of State promised that he would come to County Louth as soon as possible and compile a full report, in conjunction with the local authority, on why this happened and why it would not happen again. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney, ensured that the business support scheme was open to help affected businesses. The Government’s quick response was important. We have set aside a substantial amount of money for these schemes. Critically, we have not allowed bureaucracy to get in the way and form filling to slow down the process. In particular, the community welfare officer was excellent in ensuring that the money got to people who needed it straight away.
I wish to discuss why this happened and how to ensure it does not happen again. Let us start with Carlingford. Trinity Close and Abbey Court were two of the worst affected estates. All of the homes there flooded. People who had built lives in their homes for the past ten or 20 years saw all of that hard work and effort wiped out by a night of flooding. The issue, and one that has been raised with me time and again across the Cooley Peninsula, is that the water had nowhere to go because the drains were blocked and the culverts were not being maintained. While we can never negate nature, we can try to mitigate its effects by looking after infrastructure properly. It must fall on local authorities to ensure that drains and culverts are clear. When this type of flash flooding happens – water came down off a mountain and had nowhere to go because the drains were not being cleared – it is frustrating for many people.
Right behind Trinity Close is a wooded area called the Manse. In recent years, many trees and hedgerows there have been cut down. They were natural flood barriers. A man-made diversion also saw a stream being completely diverted into the path of the ten to 12 houses of Trinity Close. All of this is concerning.
Some roads in other parts of north Louth have been wiped away. For example, the bridge on Deerpark Road in Ravensdale does not exist anymore. Further along the road in Ballymakellett in Ravensdale, a stream flowing off it was akin to a mudslide and destroyed many homes and gardens.
I must be considerate of the local authority’s response in these situations and ask why the Civil Defence and Army were not called in at any point to help with sandbags. Some 2,000 to 3,000 sandbags were provided to people across the Cooley Peninsula to help, but this was a major emergency and all hands should have been on deck. The level of flooding was inexcusable. The fire service told me that it had nowhere to pump the water to because this drain was blocked or that drain was full and that we just had to spend the next few days waiting for nature to take its course. It is not acceptable in this day and age that so many drains and culverts are blocked. Unblocking them would not have made what happened any better – flooding would still have been an issue – but it would have mitigated the effects. It certainly would have been helpful to many of those who were flooded in the past week and the many businesses that were destroyed.
Key now is to ensure we get the funding. Many of the applications have already been approved, which is helpful. We must get the funding to people as quickly as possible.
I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. On my behalf and that of the Government, I express sympathy to the people of north Louth, including the Cooley Peninsula, who had their houses and businesses flooded last week. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, and the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donovan, visited some of the affected areas last week to see the impact of this flood event at first hand.
The flooding experienced in Louth was partly the result of heavy rain. Louth County Council’s severe weather team was convened to ensure a co-ordinated response was in place to deal with the ongoing weather problems associated with the heavy rainfall, particularly in the north of the county. The primary focus in the aftermath of the flood event was ensuring public safety by attending to road closures and infrastructural damage within the north Louth area. Since the evening of Monday, 30 October, staff of Louth County Council have responded to numerous flooding instances throughout the affected areas of the county. The fire service of Louth County Council also attended incidents throughout Monday and Tuesday of last week, rescuing members of the public from vehicles that had been stranded by flood waters. As the flood waters receded, local authority crews mobilised to remove debris from roads, enabling transport routes to reopen as soon as possible. The Civil Defence was able to help those who were isolated by the flooding and required transport to necessary appointments. Extra sandbags continue to be provided in areas where there is a risk of further flooding.
A supply of sandbags is available at the designated Louth County Council depots for collection by members of the public. Louth County Council has confirmed that drains are being jetted in affected estates.
I would like to pay tribute to the staff of the local authority and other emergency response agencies for their work in very difficult and challenging conditions during this flooding event. Last week the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, announced that she has secured a further €3 million in funding for the humanitarian assistance scheme, which is administered by the Department of Social Protection. This scheme provides support to those living in properties directly affected by flooding following severe weather conditions. It prevents hardship by providing income-tested financial support to people whose homes are damaged by flooding and severe weather events and who are unable to meet costs for essential needs, household items and structural repair.
Last week the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Simon Coveney, extended the two previously approved emergency business flooding schemes for small businesses, sports clubs, community and voluntary organisations that are unable to secure flood insurance and have been affected by recent flooding in Louth in the period from 24 October to 5 November. Under these schemes, emergency humanitarian contributions may be made available towards the cost of returning business premises, community, voluntary and sporting bodies to their pre-flood condition, including the replacement of fittings and fixtures and damaged stock.
The response to last week's flood event in north Louth demonstrates the importance of the Government's framework for major emergency management. This underpins co-ordination of responses to all emergencies in Ireland, including flooding. Through this framework, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is the lead Government Department, with national responsibility for co-ordinating the response to severe weather emergencies, including flooding. Local authorities are designated as lead agencies for response to flooding events within their administrative areas and for ensuring that effective arrangements are put in place to receive and respond to public service weather warnings issued by Met Éireann.
As the clean up from the event continues, the OPW and the county council are working to progress flood relief schemes which will protect at-risk properties in north Louth and the Cooley Peninsula. Last Friday drone footage was captured and other surveying has been organised. The OPW and the council will meet on Thursday of this week to assess the flood mechanisms and damages from the event. This will also help to inform the proposed flood relief scheme for Carlingford and Greenore.
This scheme is supported by the Government's €1.3 billion plan for flood relief through the national development plan. Since 2018, this funding has allowed the Government to treble to 100 the number of major flood relief schemes at design, planning and construction stages.
In conclusion, I again want to sympathise with the people whose homes and businesses were affected by last week's floods. I assure them and the House of the Government's support during the recovery and that we will protect these communities from similar events in the future.
In Dundalk the flooding was not as severe as elsewhere. However, if one went north of the Ballymac roundabout last week, it was like a bomb had hit the Cooley Peninsula, it was that terrible compared to other parts of County Louth. However, in parts of Dundalk like Cluan Enda and Bay Estate in particular, there was also bad flooding because there is a problem with the drainage system. This has been a recurring problem over the last five to ten years. It is now time that people got proper answers from the local authority. If this has been consistently happening over the last decade what do we now to make it stop? I hope the OPW will be able to push that point home in its engagement with Louth County Council. The same applies to the Cooley peninsula, where much of the flooding was flash flooding from the mountains. Much of the flooding was as a result of rivers not being de-silted and properly maintained. Rivers burst their banks and destroyed homes. That type of proper maintenance really needs to happen. It is simply inexcusable that it is not done regularly throughout the year by the local authority.
The flooding events in north Louth and the Cooley peninsula last week as a result of heavy rainfall on saturated ground show the importance of the OPW's planned programme to manage Ireland's flood risk. The completion of 53 flood relief schemes is already protecting 12,000 properties from flooding and avoiding damages of some €2 billion. The 2018 OPW risk management plans were evidenced from the largest study of flood risk ever undertaken by the State, through the catchment flood risk assessment and management programme.
These plans provide a proactive and planned approach to managing flood risk. All flood relief schemes are built to be adaptable to the increased risk from climate change. The €1.3 billion available through the national development plan has allowed a trebling since 2018 of schemes at design and construction stage to some 100 schemes. Today, the OPW has work completed or under way to manage the flood risk to 80% of the at-risk properties nationwide . The Government acted swiftly last week to put in place supports to those homes and businesses affected by flooding events in Louth and other locations. Again, I want to express my sympathies to those who were adversely impacted by the flooding.
This is a very important issue. I am sure everyone would join Senator McGahon in conveying our sympathies to the people who have been affected.
I also welcome Oisín Kelly, a transition year student from Coláiste Rís, formerly Dundalk CBS, who is here doing work experience with Senator McGahon. I hope Oisín has a great experience in Leinster House. We may be looking at a future politician.
Health Services Provision
I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Seanad today. Earlier this year, this House passed a motion calling on the Government to provide free hormonal replacement therapy for women. My Commencement matter asks the Minister for Health to make a statement on the process that will be required to extend the free female contraception scheme to include hormone replacement therapy, HRT. The Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, must be commended on the priority they have given to women's health. The Government has given unprecedented support to women's health. The publication of the first women's health action plan in 2022 included the ring-fencing of more than €48 million in funding for women's health. This is really welcome. It includes free contraception, endometriosis clinics, IVF treatment, menopause clinics, and many more actions as well. I acknowledge that at the outset because it is unprecedented. The introduction of free contraception for young women has been incredibly empowering. It gives them the opportunity to manage their healthcare and it removes the barrier of cost which is real for many women.
The experience of menopause is challenging for women. It is a transformative period in a woman's life. It represents a very significant change in the reproductive system but it also brings with it an awful lot of symptoms. These can be everything from hot flashes to weight gain, hair loss, anxiety, depression, sight loss, arthritis and diabetes - the list goes on and on. It is hard enough to imagine living with any one of those symptoms but many women can have many of them. Many of those symptoms are absolutely invisible to everyone except the woman who is experiencing them. It is invisible to their partners, children, work colleagues, bosses and employers. Many women disappear into those symptoms and from society. They disappear from their workplaces and their families. However, for many, HRT is a solution. It is not a panacea but it helps an awful lot of women. It is free to women who have a medical card, which is right and as it should be. However, the cost of €30 to €70 per month for HRT, the cost of a GP visit which can be between €60 and €80 and the cost of having to have to go to a consultant which could be hundreds of euros for one consultation is a real barrier for some women in accessing effective and essential healthcare treatment. HRT can be a preventative treatment. Not only can it help women to deal with their symptoms immediately, but it can also prevent them from finding themselves in a crisis medical condition down the road.
This Commencement matter looks for an update while acknowledging the unprecedented commitment of the Government to women's healthcare. It reminds the Government that its health action plan promised to grow the available women's health support services and expertise in contraception, menopause and gynaecology, and to change the approach to menopause care to increase the public supports available to women before, during and after menopause. The Government has done incredible work already to support women's health; I believe it can do a lot more. I hope the Minister of State when responding will be able to outline what process can be followed by the Government and supported by this House to extend free HRT through the free contraception scheme.
Before I call the Minister of State, I welcome some very special guests who are here in the Public Gallery today from the Bohermeen active retirement group. They are here with Senator Cassells. I wish them a very interesting and informative day in Leinster House.
They are very welcome. I hope they have a wonderful day.
I thank Senator Fitzpatrick for this opportunity to speak to the House on the important topic of HRT provision for women in menopause. The Department of Health and the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, are committed to improving women's health. Since the establishment of the women's health task force in 2019, they have listened to what women want from the health service and have taken a number of positive steps to improve women's experiences and health outcomes. This includes the free contraception scheme, which is available to women aged between 17 and 30. There was an allocation of €31.5 million for the scheme this year, which covers the cost of consultations and, where appropriate, fittings, checks and removals of contraceptive devices. This is provided by GPs and family planning, student health and primary care centres. It also covers the cost of prescriptions for the wide range of contraceptive options available through the HSE reimbursement list. Budget 2024 provided €1.3 million in new development funding to expand the scheme to include to those aged 31 from next year.
HRT is a very different treatment and cannot be included in the contraception scheme. At present, there are no plans to expand the scheme to include HRT. Furthermore, the scheme is not open to women over the age of 40 who may be deemed clinically suitable for HRT. Any decision by the Government to provide free HRT to some cohorts of women would require separate, albeit analogous, primary legislation to give effect to such a decision.
To assist those women who choose to take HRT, the HSE operates two schemes that offer financial assistance to people in receipt of prescribed HRT medications which are on the reimbursement list. These HRT medications are available to medical card holders subject to the statutory prescription charge. Eligibility for the medical card under the GMS scheme is determined by the HSE in accordance with the Health Act. In certain circumstances, however, the HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card even though an applicant exceeds the income guidelines where he or she faces difficult financial circumstances, such as extra costs arising from illness. Under the drug payment scheme, no individual or family pays more than €80 a month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines, which include some HRT medication. In budget 2023, VAT was removed from HRT to assist women further with the associated costs.
Menopause can present differently for individual women in the context of symptoms, severity and duration. Not all women experiencing menopause may be clinically eligible for HRT that is prescription based. Women may also choose not to take HRT but to address their symptoms through alternative therapies and-or lifestyle changes. It is important that women and healthcare providers are educated on the use of HRT and other options and that together they explore all of the available options open to them.
I thank Senator Fitzpatrick for raising this issue and providing me with the opportunity to speak today on the important aspect of women's health.
I thank the Minister of State for the reply from the Government and the Minister for Health. It is welcome and at least outlines what the clear path would be, and the requirement for primary legislation. We will pursue this with the Minister. It is important to note - and I had noted - that HRT is freely available on the medical card, and this is welcome. However, not every woman has a medical card. No woman should have to beg for a medical card to get HRT.
It is not always easy to diagnose that what a woman is going through is menopause. There are many symptoms, and women are sent on wild goose chases trying to identify and diagnose what exactly is wrong with them. It does not work for every woman, but there is a significant barrier for all women who do not have a medical card, namely, cost. It is an issue of equity for all women. I do not think women should be kept at this disadvantage. There would be a significant advantage in removing this barrier of cost. It would be a significant investment in women's health, not only for the individual women but also in the context of the ability of women to participate fully in society, in their families, in their communities and in their workplaces. I will pursue the matter further with the Minister and the Government.
I thank Senator Fitzpatrick. Considerable progress has been made in menopause care at primary and specialist care level. Six specialist menopause clinics are now open for women who have complex experiences of menopause.
A quick reference guide for menopause was launched to support GPs and practice nurses in diagnostics and treatment at primary care level. A national menopause awareness campaign was launched in October 2022. This was a direct response to demand from Irish women for greater knowledge and understanding of menopause, as well as better access to accurate information and supports. The campaign was relaunched earlier this year in March. It was accompanied by a dedicated webpage to provide trusted information on menopause. More recently, the menopause in the workplace policy framework was launched. This framework was developed to guide Civil Service organisations and-or agencies in identifying ways to support employees experiencing menopause. Menopause is just one of the many important areas of focus since the publication of the women's health action plan. The Department of Health and the women's health task force remain committed to continuing to drive progress in women's health to achieve better health outcomes and experiences for all women and girls in Ireland.
Primary Care Centres
The area and village of Drimnagh is a very distinct community within the constituency of Dublin South-Central. It has its own unique character and is led by a representative organisation called Dynamic Drimnagh, which comprises a number of representative groups and organisations within the community and speaks for the community. Back in 2011, the people of Drimnagh were promised a primary care centre. This community of Drimnagh is the size of Killarney; it has that level of population. In December 2019, the then Minister for Health and the then local Deputy Catherine Byrne announced the primary care centre. I have been on the floor of this House asking the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, on numerous occasions for an update on where that primary care centre is at; it is delayed and delayed. It is 12 years since the first promise to that community. It now has two GPs and while it had a public health nurse up to April this year, it no longer does because that service was moved to Crumlin. It is being deprived of services continually. On 1 June this year, in this House, when the Minister came in to talk about capital expenditure in the health services, I raised with him that I was aware that there was a design team and work was ongoing on Curlew Road. I am sure the Minister of State's speech will be full of that. I also want to draw to his attention that on Davitt Road west, the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group is building an oncology service and has plans for a primary care centre. It is using a modular method that will be a very quick build. The delivery of that service could happen a lot faster if there was joined-up thinking and that could be the focus of the primary care centre for the people of Drimnagh. The Minister committed, on the record of this House, to give me a written response to that matter. I have not received anything, hence today's Commencement matter.
A town like Killarney would not be left without a primary care centre. The Minister recently opened the Rialto primary care centre. He talked, quite rightly, about how central to Sláintecare primary care centres are and having everything in a community available and accessible to that community because it takes the burden off hospitals and how fantastic that is. It is fantastic - the Rialto centre is an example of how it can be done and done well. The elephant in the room was that an entire community - Drimnagh - is invisible to the Department of Health; it is merely stripping out services from that entire community. It would not happen in a town outside of a suburb of Dublin but it is okay for Drimnagh to be subsumed into Crumlin and to be ignored as a community with a distinct character with a right to a local health service on its doorstep, which the Government has promised for 12 years. I am mindful that it was my party's Minister who announced this in 2019. It is in the capital plans. I have been told that Curlew Road will be shovel-ready for December 2024; I do not believe that date will be held to. That is part of a series of promises on which these people are let down. There is an ageing population who cannot travel to the Crumlin centre or to Armagh Road. They need something on their own doorstep and local to them.
It confounds any sort of logic that nobody in the Department of Health is looking at what the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group executive is doing. It is proposing to build in Davitt Road, in the middle of the Drimnagh community, even though a competing project is proceeding elsewhere. I need to know that this has been considered and I need an update for the people of Drimnagh in this regard.
The Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, would like to thank the Senator for providing me with the opportunity to provide her with an update on the Drimnagh primary care centre, PCC, at Curlew Road, as well as an update on the HSE-owned site on Davitt Road in Drimnagh. The central objective of the programme for Government is to deliver increased levels of integrated healthcare with service delivery reoriented towards general practice, primary care and community-based services, to enable a home-first approach. Primary centres play an essential role in achieving that objective and significant progress has been made in the delivery of PCCs nationally. PCCs support the delivery of integrated care by facilitating closer co-ordination and co-operation between health professionals across different disciplines. They also provide a single point of access to services for an individual and can serve more broadly as a resource for the community.
The Drimnagh primary care centre will be located on the existing site at Curlew Road and will provide vital services within community healthcare organisation, CHO, 7, and specifically in the south Dublin suburb of Drimnagh. A design team has been appointed for the proposed Drimnagh primary care centre. A consultant has been appointed to prepare the strategic assessment report which is now under way. Planning permission has been granted. The proposed PCC at Curlew Road in Drimnagh will accommodate facilities for a primary care team, including addiction and older person services, three GP suites, a day care centre for persons with Alzheimer's disease, and a community centre including a crèche.
The site owned by the HSE at Davitt Road in Drimnagh is of strategic importance to the HSE and to the St. James's Hospital acute hospital campus, in particular. Currently, the site is being utilised as an essential temporary construction compound, as required for the construction of the national children's hospital. The HSE, in co-operation with St. James's Hospital, is progressing a development control plan document and specific detailed proposals for the use of the site. This work is ongoing and is of very real importance to support acute hospital services in this part of the city. Further planned development on the St. James's Hospital campus is required to fulfil Government commitments in the delivery of phase 2 of the critical care plan. This will require the ability to decant health activity from the St. James's campus to Davitt Road to enable the delivery of future critical care infrastructure. The development of the Davitt Road site is integral to the development of health infrastructure being progressed fully in line with programme for Government commitments, Government-approved health policies, and health service priorities and commitments to deliver universal healthcare and to facilitate Sláintecare. All capital development proposals must progress through a number of approval stages, in line with the public spending code, including detailed appraisal, planning, design and procurement, before funding for each stage can be confirmed. The successful completion of the various approval stages will determine the timeline for the delivery of a project. It is, therefore, not possible to provide a timeline for the development of the Davitt Road site at this time.
I appreciate that the Minister of State is not in the Department of Health. I commend him on the incredible work he is doing in his own Department.
I raised this matter in July 2020, February 2021 and June 2021; on 23 February 2023; with the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, in March 2023; and with the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, on 1 June 2023. I can tell the Minister of State that three quarters of the speech he has just delivered has been the same since July 2020. Three years on, there is no reason to believe we are in any way more advanced, to be perfectly honest.
I asked a reasonably straightforward question about whether the Davitt Road site is being considered. I can read between the lines that the straight answer would be "No". It seems that we are not considering a primary care centre for there, that there will not be any advance and that there is no way to expedite this in the manner in which the people of Drimnagh deserve. The Minister of State has given us a very disappointing response. The final paragraph, which begins "All capital development proposals must progress...", is another way of saying that we are in a process and that the people who are in primary school now might get it sometime as an elder care centre. It is not good enough. It needs to be delivered with timelines that somebody is answerable for because it is not happening in time and with respect for the community and the people of Drimnagh.
I will not read the closing statement because the Senator will know much of what is in it already. I will speak directly with the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. I will see him in the Chamber today or tomorrow, and I will pass the views of the Senator on to him directly.
I would say that, from the text, the Davitt Road site does not seem to have been ruled out. Yet, as the Senator said, from reading between the lines, that would appear to be the case. However, it does not say “No”. That is what I am interpreting as well.
It does not say "Yes" either.
Indeed.
I thank the Minister of State. Senator Seery Kearney has constantly been highlighting this issue. I think I was in the Chair the last time she raised this as a Commencement matter. I say well done to her. All you can do is ask.
Hospital Facilities
The Minister of State is very welcome to the House this afternoon. Yesterday, the management at Cavan General Hospital issued a statement to local media requesting that non-urgent people would not attend the hospital because of the high volumes they were experiencing. Instead, they asked that patients with non-critical issues to contact their GP or indeed their pharmacy for assistance. This brings into focus again, from our perspective in Monaghan, the role that Monaghan Hospital and, in this instance, the role the injuries unit in Monaghan could provide to help alleviate the pressure on emergency departments, not just in Cavan but in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda as well.
Thankfully, the injuries unit in Monaghan is now open seven days per week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. They treat a wide range of injuries at the hospital. Neither an appointment nor a GP referral is needed to be seen there. I pay tribute to the very professional, caring and dedicated staff who operate there. The place has gone from strength to strength since it has been open seven days a week. Many people are being treated there who would otherwise end up in an accident and emergency department. That is a very positive development.
That is why I was interested in a development that is taking place now in Roscommon University Hospital, whereby some patients are being transferred directly to Roscommon injuries unit by ambulance if they meet the strict criteria, which is a very welcome development. I understand the National Ambulance Service and Roscommon University Hospital have agreed a programme that involves strict clinical and geographical criteria that will see a small cohort of patients, not a large number, with minor injuries being transferred by the National Ambulance Service to the injuries unit for treatment. Opening this new pathway will allow paramedics to bring patients to the most appropriate location and for the most appropriate treatment to be given. That is a very welcome development. It will in turn alleviate the pressure on the likes of the accident and emergency department in that location.
From my perspective, I would like to see a similar development with the injuries unit in Monaghan whereby if it meets the proper criteria as regards geography and clinical need, patients could be transferred directly to Monaghan injuries unit by ambulance to receive their treatment there. As I said, the injuries unit treats many minor injuries. The numbers going through the doors at the moment have been very progressive. It is growing in popularity and strength as people become more and more aware of it.
I very much welcome the development in Roscommon injuries unit and I would like to see a similar arrangement taking place between the National Ambulance Service and the hospital in Monaghan whereby patients appropriately triaged by the paramedic at the scene would be able to be transferred directly to the injuries unit in Monaghan, as opposed to travelling to an accident and emergency department, such as in Cavan or Drogheda, which are under immense pressure already. It is a very common-sense proposal. I commend them on taking this on board. I look forward to a similar arrangement being put in place in Monaghan injuries unit and indeed in other injuries units. I look forward to the Minister of State giving the Minister for Health’s position on that.
I thank Senator Gallagher for raising the matter of the minor injuries unit at Monaghan Hospital and I welcome the opportunity to update the House on this important service. The minor injuries unit at Monaghan Hospital plays a vital role in providing valuable services to the local community and helping to alleviate pressures on our emergency departments. There are a total of 12 HSE minor injuries units under the governance of HSE acute operations, all operating on a seven day per week basis. This includes the injuries unit service located at Monaghan Hospital which has been open seven days per week since July 2023. It is open to adults for children aged five and older.
The National Ambulance Service has established a medical assessment unit pathway to allow patient referrals by National Ambulance Service paramedics to each of the existing seven model 2 hospital-based medical assessment units.
Prior to the development of this pathway only patients referred by GPs or GP out-of-hours services were accepted. Following a successful trial at Wexford General Hospital, the NAS clinical director and the national clinical lead for the acute medicine programme are currently in discussions concerning the feasibility of extending this pathway, which is currently confined to model 2 hospitals and model 3 hospitals including Cavan and Monaghan hospital. This programme ran successfully at Roscommon University Hospital where it was agreed that some patients be transferred directly to Roscommon hospital injury unit if they meet strict criteria. Under this new agreement, the National Ambulance Service paramedics will also transfer patients with minor injuries to the unit.
The pathway will result in patients receiving medical treatment in a hospital closer to their home and will release ambulances more quickly to respond to other emergency calls; 112/999 patients who do not meet these clinical criteria will continue to be transported to emergency departments for assessment and treatment.
Monaghan hospital operates as a single hospital with Cavan General Hospital. Together they share an integrated managerial and clinical governance system, as well as integrated patient care pathways and support functions. The emergency department is located at Cavan General Hospital and provides 24-hour emergency critical care to adults and children, while facilities at Monaghan hospital focus on elective care and the appropriate streaming of patients to the minor injury unit.
Over the past ten years, this injury unit has treated thousands of patients each year, with more than 4,200 attendances in 2020, and nearly 5,400 in 2021. Investment in the minor injury unit in recent years led to the expansion of opening hours in November 2022 and again in July 2023, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. This Government is committed to the ongoing development of facilities at injury units across the country.
I thank the Minister of State for his reply. As I said earlier, the development in Roscommon is very positive and it makes perfect sense that a similar protocol be put in place in Monaghan. The injuries unit is thankfully now operating seven days a week, as the Minister of State noted. The staff are very dedicated and caring people and provide an excellent service. From my inquiries, I understand this protocol is working very well in Roscommon and I see no reason it would not be introduced and rolled out in Monaghan as soon as possible. I would like to see that happening and I ask the Minister of State to take on board my ambitions for Monaghan hospital to be used to greater capacity to relieve the pressure on the emergency department in Cavan, and indeed Drogeda.
I thank the Senator for his constant advocacy on behalf of Monaghan hospital, which is duly noted.
I thank Senator Gallagher for his contribution. Monaghan hospital, serving the people of counties Monaghan and Cavan, has a reputation for the delivery of high quality, innovative and safe care to patients. Over the past ten years, the minor injury unit at Monaghan hospital has treated thousands of patients each year. The National Ambulance Service has established medical assessment pathways to allow patient referrals by National Ambulance Service paramedics to each of the existing seven model 2 hospital-based MAUs. The new programme piloted at Roscommon University Hospital is now being explored for roll-out to other hospitals including Cavan and Monaghan hospital. In summary, the minor injury unit at Monaghan hospital plays a vital role in providing valuable services to the local community and helps to alleviate the pressures on our emergency departments.
We thank the Minister of State for his time. We appreciate how busy he is and thank him for taking Commencement matters this morning.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 1.45 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 2 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 1.45 p.m and resumed at 2 p.m.