No additional beds will be provided for University Hospital Galway in the Winter Plan agreed at Cabinet, despite 205 additional beds being provided nationwide.
The information emerged this week during a meeting between HSE officials and the Oireachtas Health Committee. Galway Fine Gael senator, Sean Kyne, described the situation as “unbelievable” considering the “huge pressure” the Emergency Department in Galway was experiencing - the Winter Plan itself found that 12.9 per cent of people on trollies at 8am over the last eight weeks were in Galway University Hospital.
Sen Kyne said he will raise this issue in the Seanad with the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, on Thursday.
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The plans for Galway include greater use of private beds, community beds, and GP investment. While Sen Kyne [pictured above] said this was welcome, it was still “unacceptable” that the hospital “with the greatest pressure” will receive no additional beds in the winter plan.
“When I asked HSE officials how many additional beds Galway were to get it was with disbelief that I found out they were to provide none,” said Sen Kyne. “It’s not good enough from either the HSE or the Minister for Health.”
