Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 December 2025
295. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the process used by her Department to monitor the HSE’s performance in resolving delayed transfers of care linked to housing; the frequency of internal reviews; and the mechanisms used to hold the HSE accountable for meeting its annual reduction targets. [70423/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI would like to thank the deputy for his question regarding Delayed Transfers of Care (DTOC), which is an integral part of the patient flow process and as such a vital element in a well-functioning health system.
Discharge Management is one of the four pillars of the UEC Plan 2025-2026 highlighting its important role in patient recovery and the whole health system function.
The UEC Plan has a DTOC KPI of no more than 300 patients per day.
DTOCs are reported to the Department by the HSE with a report that gives a breakdown of the numbers of DTOC by category and through the daily Trolleygar report which is reported to the Minister. Further to that, there is a weekly Transfer of Care report sent by the HSE to the Department.
The category which relates to waiting for access to housing is Category E.
The most recent Transfer of Care report put Type E at 7.7% of the total DTOC patients currently in the system.
There is regular contact between the department and the HSE that monitor all aspects of ED performance with daily operational calls taking place during the busy winter period.
A priority of the Minster for Health is to provide a 7-day health service to the public. Part of this is fully integrated teams across community and acute services work to enable safe and timely discharge to the most appropriate setting over seven days.
The HSE South West has set up the Regional Integrated Control Centre (RIIC) to better integrate acute and community services to improve patient flow and escalate DTOC concerns. It is envisioned that the RIIC will improve bed management and strengthen operational grip to better provide for the transfer of patients.
