The Health Service Executive said today that the numbers of people waiting on trolleys in A&E Departments had fallen during the first two weeks of May.
The Director of National Hospitals Office Pat McLoughlin described the recent figures as encouraging and believed that when the full range of planned HSE interventions are in place there should be a considerable improvement in the situation in the State's hospitals.
The figures, compiled by the HSE, show that the average number of people waiting on trolleys for admission in the eastern region was 129 in April. This fell to an average of 99 in May.
Throughout the rest of the country the average figure fell from 110 in March to 69 in May.
Overall the average number of people waiting on trolleys has dropped from 232 in March to 168 in May.
The HSE is continuing to implement a number of initiatives to alleviate pressure within A&E Departments, including the procurement of 90 intermediate beds to speep up the discharge of elderly people from acute hospitals to what it describes as more appropriate and improved setting for their needs.
The Executive is also providing for expanded home care packages to support 500 older people at home.
Allocations were issued in February for 180 home care packages for patients in the major Dublin hospitals. Almost 100 of these packages are already in place, allowing 100 older people to return home with all the necessary supports.
An allocation of 100 home care packages to hospitals outside the eastern region has also been approved.