The number of hospitals in the Dublin area, together with the total number of beds formally approved under Article 8 of the Health Services (In-patient) Regulations, 1991, as at 1 February 1999, is as follows:
Name of Hospital
|
Total Number ofAcute Hospital Bedsas at 1 February 1999
|
Naas General Hospital
|
94
|
St. Columcille's Hospital
|
150
|
James Connolly Memorial Hospital
|
257
|
Peamount
|
60
|
Mater
|
483
|
St. James's Hospital
|
700
|
St. Vincent's Hospital
|
472
|
Adelaide & Meath Hospital Dublin, incorporating the National Children's Hospital
|
464
|
Beaumont Hospital
|
627
|
St. Michael's Hospital
|
95
|
Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital
|
90
|
Our Lady's Hospital for SickChildren
|
258
|
The Children's Hospital, TempleStreet
|
144
|
Rotunda Hospital
|
189
|
The National Maternity Hospital
|
206
|
Coombe Women's Hospital
|
237
|
St. Luke's Hospital
|
172
|
Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital
|
126
|
Hume Street Hospital
|
31
|
Total
|
4,855
|
With regard to individual hospitals' catchment areas, each of the major Dublin acute hospitals provides a local service to its immediate hinterland. However, referral is a matter for the general practitioner in the first instance, exercising his/her clinical judgment on the hospital of choice. In addition, many of the hospitals in the Dublin area provide both regional and national specialties, and referrals to these specialties from outside the Dublin area are a significant feature of their activities.
According to the latest census figures in 1996, the total population of the Eastern Health Board region is 1.3 million, which compares with a population of 1.24 million in 1991. The breakdown of the 1996 census figure by age categories and dependency ratio is as listed in the following table.
Breakdown of Eastern Health Board area population figure (1996) by age categories
Age Categories
|
Percentage
|
0-14
22.70
15-24
18.40
23-34
16.30
35-44
13.90
45-54
11.20
55-64
7.80
65-74
5.80
75-84
3.10
85 years and over
0.80
Dependency Ratio
0-14 years
33.5
65 years and over
14.3
(Definitions: The young dependency ratio refers to the number of persons aged 0-14 years as a percentage of those aged 15-64 years. The ratio for 65 years and over refers to the number of persons aged 65 years and over as a percentage of those aged 15-64)
With regard to population growth areas of the city and the impact of demographic changes on the health services, individual health service providers take these changes into account when formulating development proposals and service plans on a yearly basis. The commissioning of health services under the new Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA, will be decided on an explicit needs based approach. I would anticipate that the ERHA's public health department will include this in its analysis of need factors such as those identified by the Deputy.