The Minister would like to thank the deputy for his question and assure him that the HSE and the Department of Health have targets set to minimise the amount of time patients spent in Emergency Departments across our health system.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) records the number of patients waiting more than 24 hours for an inpatient bed as part of its daily 8am snapshot (TrolleyGAR).
While patient-level data, including the specific time from registration to admission (Patient Experience Time or PET), is captured within individual hospital administration systems, the primary metrics reported centrally are median wait times and the total number of 24-hour PET breaches.
The Unscheduled Emergency Care Plan 2025-2026 sets out key performance indicators that set focused targets to meet the rising number of patients presenting at Emergency Departments.
The Patient Experience Time (PET) target is set at 97% of all attendees are see within 24 hours and for the over 75s cohort that target is set at 99%.
There was a 16% decrease in the number of patients that exceeded the 24hr breach threshold in 2025 compared to 2024. Similarly, there was a 16% decrease in the same category for over 75s over the same timeframe.
It is unacceptable for any patient to have to wait over 24hrs for care and progress has been made year on year to reduce instances of this occurring. A strong operational grip with a particular focus on patient flow is the key to achieving the PET KPIs.
This is being aided by the continuing rollout of the Public Only Consultant Contracts. As of late 2025, 3,261 consultants (66%) have signed up to the Public Only Consultant Contract (POCC) ensuring senior decision-makers are on-site during evenings and weekends to facilitate flow.
