John Bruton
Question:199 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Health the number of beds per thousand of population in general hospitals in each health board area which have an acute consultant on the staff.
Written Answers. - Hospital Beds Statistics.
The number of public hospital beds available for use is subject to variation over the course of any year due to factors such as seasonal bed closures or the temporary opening of additional beds to cope with emergency situations. It is, however, the policy to maintain the average annualised figure at approximately 12,000 consultant-staffed general hospital beds, which would equate to approximately 3.4 beds per 1,000 population. The average annualised figure for 1991 per 1,000 population in each health board area is set out in the table below.
It must, of course, be borne in mind that the figure for each health board area takes account not only of services provided for those in the local area, but also of national specialties and other services provided for more than one area.
Consultant-Staffed General Hospital Beds
|
Health Board Area |
Number of Beds per 1,000 Population |
|
Eastern |
4.1 |
|
Midland |
2.6 |
|
Mid-Western |
2.4 |
|
North-Eastern |
3.4 |
|
North-Western |
2.8 |
|
South-Eastern |
2.6 |
|
Southern |
3.3 |
|
Western |
3.6 |
|
Total |
3.4 |