The Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney has said that fewer patients are now awaiting admission to a hospital bed from accident and emergency departments and they are waiting for shorter periods.
She said that in nearly half of all A&E departments, patients are admitted to ward beds without any delay at all.
The minister said any policy proposals must identify specific outcomes and improvements for patients in specific timeframes.
Ms Harney made her comments following today’s publication of a joint Fine Gael and Labour Party policy on improving conditions in accident and emergency units.
The document promises the establishment of up to 15 urgent care centres around the country, with three in Dublin the priority, as an alternative to A&E for treating patients with relatively minor conditions.
A 24-hour emergency helpline would be set up to advise patients and to help with locating a GP.
Better hygiene, extra hospital beds and accident and emergency consultants are also promised.
Meanwhile, the Health Service Executive has said that 121 patients were waiting in accident and emergency departments today for admission to a bed.
Of these patients, 69 were waiting six hours or less for admission.
According to the Irish Nurses Organisation, which collects its data at a different time, there were 169 patients on trolleys awaiting admission to a hospital bed today.
