A&E overcrowding a year-round problem, says Varadkar 

'We are seeing emergency department overcrowding running at about 20% or 30% lower than this time last summer.' the Taoiseach said. 

The Taoiseach has admitted overcrowding in hospital emergency departments (EDs) is no longer confined to just the winter months, with certain pinch periods seeing the situation go from “bad to very bad”.

Leo Varadkar made the comments as Health Minister Stephen Donnelly brought a plan to Cabinet on Tuesday which will replace the previous strategy of rolling out a winter plan each year.

Mr Varadkar said: “So instead of having a winter plan we’re essentially having an all-year-round plan around emergency departments but recognising that there are certain pinch points — particularly post-bank holidays, and winter periods — when I suppose it goes from bad to very bad.

“We are seeing emergency department overcrowding running at about 20% or 30% lower than this time last summer, which is positive, that can change on a dime, I know, but that’s where we are at the moment.”

So far this year, 725,941 people have attended HSE emergency departments, an increase of 1.2% on the same months last year.

Among the patients attending this year, were some 187,447 patients who were admitted to hospital from the emergency departments, an increase of 4.5% from last year.

This year’s numbers include an increase of 5.7% among the over-75s attending emergency departments, a HSE spokeswoman said on Tuesday. She said: 

In order to respond effectively to the sustained and record pressures that are being experienced throughout the year and beyond winter, a new approach is required and underway to improve urgent and emergency care.

The plan for the remainder of this year is focused on emergency department operations, discharging patients from hospital without delays, and patient flow — meaning how quickly patients access different kinds of care across the hospitals.

“This includes continuing to put additional resources in place to support our frail, elderly patients to avoid unnecessary emergency hospital admissions,” she said.

“Based on lessons learnt and on the basis we anticipate will be entering another multi-pathogenic season [including flu, covid, and RSV] this plan will also include specific surge measures.”

In the longer-term, the plans will also involve a new HSE three-year multi-annual urgent and emergency care plan.

Speaking about the plans in the Dáil last month, Mr Donnelly said: “These programmes are looking to make sustainable change and not just the addition of one-off resources for the winter. 

"We are looking at fundamental structural change here.”