'Severe pressure' on Portlaoise hospital insists Laois TD

Portlaoise hospital is under ‘severe pressure’ and does not have enough beds to cope with population growth in Laois, according to a TD who also insists more has to be invested in the community nursing units in Abbeyleix and Mountmellick.

The case for more spending on the expansion of the three Laois health facilities was made by independent TD Brian Stanley to Minister Helen McEntee, who was taking questions on behalf of the Taoiseach Micheál Martin during leaders’ questions in the Dáil. The Minister for Health Jennifer Carol Mc Neill was at Minister McEntee’s side to hear what Dep Stanley had to say.

He outlined how Laois is earmarked for more housing, but this requires investment in health.

“The Government’s target for housing growth in Laois is 11,200 over a period of nine years. That is a population growth of 33,000, or 33%, in a nine-year period. That creates a demand on services. One of the most pressing issues is bed capacity in hospitals and nursing homes. Currently, we have capacity for a population of about 65,000 in those services.

“Portlaoise hospital has been provided with a new accident and emergency unit and other improvements. The Minister, Deputy MacNeill, visited earlier in the year to open some of those facilities. Those facilities are welcome because there is a chronic shortage of space in the hospital. The staff are doing their very best. When the Minister visited, she made the welcome announcement of approval for a new 48-bed wing, which is excellent news, but it needs to be funded.

“Bed capacity in the EU stands at 516 beds per 100,000. In the case of Ireland, it is 289 beds. Portlaoise hospital’s bed capacity stands at 171 beds. With a steep growth in population and an ageing population, this will not meet demand,” he said

Regarding public nursing homes, Dep Stanley St Vincent’s CNU in Mountmellick has capacity for 58 beds, and a new wing is due to open soon costing over €30 million.

“The problem, however, is that it will not deliver extra capacity because the plan is to close two existing 25-bed wards and move residents out to the new wing. Therefore, there will still only be 58 beds. There is an opportunity to keep one of those wards open, namely, St. Anne’s ward. It was refurbished in recent years and is HIQA-approved. It should be kept open, which would provide Mountmellick with capacity for 83 beds in total. There is a huge demand for those beds,” he said.

The TD described the case of Abbeyleix as ‘simple’.

“It has 22 beds at the moment, between respite and step-down beds. A total of six bed spaces are currently taken up in the hospital because the day care centre is housed within it,” he said

He summarised the case for investment.

“We are not looking for three new hospitals but the planned new wing in Portlaoise hospital needs to be funded. The new modular day care unit for Abbeyleix and the retention of St. Anne’s ward are critical for capacity. Will the Government commit to providing the relatively modest amount of money to deliver and cater for the massive population growth in the county in the form of the new wing for Portlaoise hospital and a small day care centre for Abbeyleix to free up bed space?

“Keeping St. Anne’s ward open requires no capital funding. The Minister will see that when she visits again. Portlaoise hospital is under severe pressure. Patients are waiting to get into the accident and emergency department, and the managers cannot do anything about it because they are trying to move patients out the other end as quickly as they can. The problem is sheer bed capacity. I am trying to urge the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister for Health, Deputy MacNeill, who is sitting beside her, to prioritise this,” he said.

He said he sees the commitment of staff in Abbeyleix, Mountmellick and Portlaoise and the “great work they do on a weekly basis”. MORE BELOW PHOTO.

“They do excellent work. What I am asking for is a plan for that new 48-bed wing in Portlaoise. The Department of local government are saying the population has to increase by one third by 2034, but the population of Laois has gone from 60,000 just a short few years ago to nearly 100,000. The next census will show a population of 100,000 in Laois. That is the problem. The growth of another one third on top of that will put a huge burden on services. I can go on about schools and everything else but the critical thing at the moment is hospital care,” he said.

Minister McEntee acknowledged that there is a significant demand on resources more generally, including in Portlaoise hospital which is why the budget for health in 2027 rose by €1.6 billion and €160 million increase in n capital spending.

She said significant recent investment in Portlaoise recognises the demand and the need. She said staff numbers have also rose by nearly 6%.

“That is a recognition, which the Minister for Health has reflected, of the demand and requirements that are there, as well as the demand and need for us to plan for the future beyond current capacity. That is why there is still a projected 48-bed wing being invested in, which we hope to open soon. There is a clear plan on the part of both the HSE and the Minister for Health to make sure that investment is put in where there are demands in certain hospitals and regions,” she said.

She outlined a range of figures nationally that show the expansion of the health service and increased delivery.

“The patients themselves are not looking at these figures but at the productivity, care and response they receive. What we know is that we have an excellent team of healthcare professionals who are considering not just what additional resources we can put in but also how we can create greater efficiencies, whether it is in rostering, expanding evening and weekend services, or utilising theatres, clinics and diagnostics in a different way. All of these are areas of focus and priority for us, and we need to continue that investment and focus,” concluded Ms McEntee.