Martin Daly: Calls for Elective Hospitals to Ease ER Pressure
Martin Daly urged the development of dedicated elective hospitals to separate elective surgery from acute and emergency care, arguing this will reduce waiting times and prevent patients being deferred. He welcomed the minister's response and stressed the need to secure funding and revise infrastructure guidelines to build efficiently.
Martin Daly described elective hospitals as an "absolutely critical piece of health infrastructure" to stop acute and emergency cases competing with elective cases and to prevent long deferrals of planned surgery.
He argued that the emergency room is a symptom of a lack of capacity across health services - not the root cause - and that elective capacity should not be housed inside acute hospitals where disruptions can displace planned surgeries.
The minister agreed with the need for capacity and said engagement with planning authorities is underway. The minister emphasised a standardised design for elective hospitals to ensure efficiency and to allow patients and services to move between facilities without difficulty, with limited scope for local variation.
Both speakers highlighted funding as a priority and the need to revise infrastructure guidelines. The aim outlined was to enable more effective, efficient building of elective hospitals to alleviate pressure on major acute hospitals and protect urgent and emergency care capacity.
Key message
Martin Daly described elective hospitals as an "absolutely critical piece of health infrastructure" to stop acute and emergency cases competing with elective cases and to prevent long deferrals of planned surgery.
Emergency room pressures explained
He argued that the emergency room is a symptom of a lack of capacity across health services - not the root cause - and that elective capacity should not be housed inside acute hospitals where disruptions can displace planned surgeries.
Minister's planning and design commitments
The minister agreed with the need for capacity and said engagement with planning authorities is underway. The minister emphasised a standardised design for elective hospitals to ensure efficiency and to allow patients and services to move between facilities without difficulty, with limited scope for local variation.
Funding and infrastructure reform
Both speakers highlighted funding as a priority and the need to revise infrastructure guidelines. The aim outlined was to enable more effective, efficient building of elective hospitals to alleviate pressure on major acute hospitals and protect urgent and emergency care capacity.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Rose Conway-Walsh
Rose Conway-Walsh urges access to training fund and Ballyhonas centre
Danny Healy-Rae
Danny Healy-Rae: Vacant Kerry Houses and Planning Rules
Danny Healy-Rae
Danny Healy-Rae demands review of 'active travel' roadworks
Victor Boyhan
Victor Boyhan on Department Refusal to Fund Pierce House
Carol Nolan
Carol Nolan warns LOETB underfunded, urges SUSIE fix
Brendan Smith
Brendan Smith – Taoiseach's Questions (13.05.25)
Transcript
It's an absolutely critical piece of health infrastructure to develop the elective hospitals because what we've had in the past, we've had acute and emergency cases competing with elective cases and we've had people deferred from after waiting long periods of time for elective surgery and being deferred. And also one of the issues we often talk about the emergency room as being the focus point, but really the emergency room is just a symptom of lack of capacity within our health services. So I'm very happy with what you've outlined, Minister, in terms of developing capacity in our health service because we need to alleviate and separate out the acute care from the elective care. Thank you. Thank you, Deputy. And I completely agree with you. I think it's very important to say that engagement with planning authorities is underway and the agreement in relation to the design once built four times really, you know, I really can't overstate it. There isn't room for local variation or perspectives on it. This is about doing something in the most efficient way and also having the ability to move between the different elective hospitals without any difficulty whatsoever. But these elective hospitals will alleviate pressure on major hospitals. Precisely as you say, we shouldn't have elective capacity within an acute hospital, which should be for very significant illness and traumas because the disruption that can happen for various reasons in acute hospital disrupts planned surgeries and takes up capacity that should otherwise be there for urgent and emergency care within the acute system. So my priority will be on securing the funding, but also really, and I hope working with the house to revise the infrastructure guidelines to get to a way where we can build more effectively, more efficiently, which is what we need for this project in particular.