The hospital system in general is experiencing increased pressure on available beds due to a number of factors, including the growth in population and increasing number of elderly people who have a higher than average length of stay. Available data indicates that about 70% of all hospital admissions are through accident and emergency departments. This Government has taken a number of initiatives to improve services in accident and emergency departments. A €40.63 million investment package was provided in the winter of 2000-01 aimed at alleviating service pressures and maintaining services to patients, particularly in the acute hospital sector. This investment package provided for the recruitment of additional 29 accident and emergency consultants and for the contracting of additional private nursing home places for patients whose acute phase of treatment has been completed but who require additional care in an alternative setting. The ERHA and the health boards contracted more than 700 beds under this initiative in the winter of 2000-01. This level of funding was repeated over the period October 2001 to March 2002 and has been of significant benefit to health agencies in responding to the high level of demand for hospital beds over the winter periods.
I have also provided funding to the ERHA and the health boards to support a further range of initiatives in accident and emergency departments. These include: £5.19 million towards the development of accident and emergency facilities at St. James's Hospital; the provision of minor injuries units in Beaumont, Mater, James Connolly Memorial, St. James's and Tallaght Hospitals; development of accident and emergency department at the Mater Hospital; extension to the accident and emergency department at St. Columcille's Hospital; development of pilot services for deep venous thrombosis in Beaumont Hospital; provision of a chest pain service at St. James's Hospital; the provision of a pilot discharge lounge in Beaumont Hospital; the recruitment of discharge planners and patient liaison personnel at accident and emergency sites in the eastern region; development of new accident and emergency department at St. Vincent's Hospital, Elm Park; development of new accident and emergency department at the Children's Hospital, Temple Street; planning of a new accident and emergency department for Cork University Hospital; development of accident and emergency department at Galway University Hospital; development of accident and emergency department at Castlebar General Hospital; development of accident and emergency department at Tullamore General Hospital; development of a new accident and emergency department at Portlaoise General Hospital; appointment of a design team for the development of a new accident and emergency department at Roscommon County Hospital; and the upgrading of accident and emergency facilities at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Monaghan General Hospital and Our Lady's Hospital, Navan.
My Department, in conjunction with the Department of Finance and in consultation with the social partners has conducted a comprehensive review of acute hospital bed capacity needs. On foot of that review, entitled Acute Hospital Bed Capacity – A National Review, the Government has decided to provide an additional 3,000 beds in acute hospitals over the next ten years. I announced on 16 January a €65 million investment package in the current year for the commissioning of 709 of these 3,000 beds in acute hospitals. My Department has been advised, by the ERHA and the health boards that 98 of these beds have been commissioned, that an additional 23 beds will come on stream by the end of April 2002, with a further 49 beds by the end of May 2002. The balance will be introduced on a phased basis during the rest of the year.