€448,000 in funding for Loughlinstown and St. Vincent's Hospitals

 

“I am delighted with today’s announcement by the Minister for Health, James Reilly, that the Special Delivery Unit (SDU), set up by the Minister earlier this year, has allocated €448,000 in funding to Loughlinstown and St. Vincent’s Hospitals.

 

“By prioritising the treatment of patients, the Minister is now able to open a 40-bed ward in Leopardstown Park Hospital with eight step-down beds and to also fund 229 assisted discharge packages, at the rate of seven per week, in Loughlinstown and St. Vincent’s Hospitals. These measures will be in place until the end of the year.

 

“This is very welcome news for the people of Dublin South who rely on these hospitals for their health care needs. Staff at the hospitals provide exceptional care and I believe these extra measures will enable them to provide an even better service to patients. I would like to thank Minister Reilly for his work on this issue, which forms a key part of his reform agenda for our entire health care system.

 

“A number of conditions are attached to this funding, and it’s up to each hospital to ensure they are keeping up with their end of the bargain. They must progress the implementation of the HSE’s Acute Medicine Programme and ensure the hospital has seven day discharge rounds. It’s also essential that additional capacity, funded by this initiative, is not offset by reductions as a result of this initiative.”