Patients are ‘at the heart’ of all hospital reforms – Taoiseach

Patients are ‘at the heart’ of all hospital reforms – Taoiseach


Áine Ryan

TAOISEACH Enda Kenny has confirmed there has been a significant drop in numbers waiting on beds at Mayo General Hospital (MGH), Castlebar, since Government provided additional funding to streamline a more efficient discharge process. The efficiency of this process is now set to be further enhanced by the reopening of ‘ten short-stay beds in Ballina District Hospital.  
“Patients remain the priority and are at the heart of all the reforms we are implementing. Numbers waiting at Mayo General Hospital are down 35 percent on January 6, which shows that Government action is working. We will continue to work to solve this problem,” Mr Kenny confirmed in a statement last week.
He said the HSE last week ‘approved further initiatives to support a sustained reduction of Emergency Department waits and delayed discharges at Mayo General Hospital’.
As well as the extended services at Ballina, which will alleviate delayed discharges, ‘a further 11 patients will be catered for under the Nursing Home Support Scheme and this will also contribute to alleviating pressure in Mayo General Hospital’.
The additional funding tranche of €25 million, which came on-stream on January 1,  was provided by  Government, on top of an additional €3m in late 2014 to address delayed discharges. This funding is being targeted at hospital and community services which can demonstrate initiatives to enable patients to move from acute or transitional care into long term care or to return home with appropriate supports and will help to alleviate pressures on acute hospital bed capacity.