Written Answers. - Hospital Services.
Ivor Callely
Question:
256
Mr. Callely
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
the number of beds in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9; the number of public and private beds; the number of beds allocated to neurosurgery, neurology and renal treatment; if he has satisfied himself that hospital can meet the demands of its catchment areas; the consideration, if any, he has given to the development of a north County Dublin based hospital to meet the increasing demands of these growing suburbs; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6202/99]
The information required by the Deputy regarding bed allocation at Beaumont Hospital is as follows:
|
Total
|
Public
|
Private
|
|
Total No. of In-patient Beds
|
618
|
512
|
106
|
|
Total No. of Day Beds
|
12
|
10
|
2
|
|
Neurosurgery Beds
|
90
|
81
|
9
|
|
Neurology Beds
|
30
|
28
|
2
|
|
Renal Beds
|
53
|
41
|
12
|
Regarding the Deputy's question concerning the development of a north County Dublin based hospital to meet the increasing demands of the growing north Dublin suburb, he will be aware that I recently announced that the level of capital investment in the health services for the next three years has been decided. Exchequer capital spending on the health service infrastructure will total £525 million over the next three years and include provision for a number of major hospital developments in the north Dublin region. In this context, it is worth mentioning two major developments which are under way in north Dublin.
First, the Deputy will be aware that a major development project for the Mater Hospital has been under discussion for some time. Consequently, I was pleased to be in a position to approve the development of phase I of the project in November 1997, at a cost limit of £25 million.
In May 1998, I approved the appointment of the design team for the development. Its initial task will be the preparation of a development control plan, DCP, for the entire Mater site, including the relocation of the Children's Hospital, Temple Street, followed by phase I of the development. Phase I will include a new accident and emergency department, a new out patient department; a new hospital sterile services department and new operating theatres. The construction of Phase I is expected to commence in 2000 and there is a general acceptance that phase II, which includes the relocation of the Children's Hospital, Temple Street on the Mater campus, should proceed as quickly as possible thereafter.
Second, in January 1998 I gave the go ahead to the capital development programme for James Connolly Memorial Hospital, which provides for the inclusion of new acute wards and the refurbishment of existing wards, new intensive care and coronary care units, a new accident and emergency department and a new department of physical medicine. Detailed accommodation briefs have been finalised for this development and are currently under consideration by my Department. The development will be on a phased basis with phase I scheduled for completion in 2001.
While there are no plans for the development of a new hospital on the northside of Dublin or in the north County Dublin area in the immediate future, my Department is keeping the situation in relation to acute hospital services under review with regard to changes in demographics within the eastern region.
I am conscious that pending the completion of the above developments it is vital that existing services on the north side of the city are maintained to a high standard. For this reason, in 1999, my Department approved additional funding of £4.306 million for Beaumont Hospital for service developments, medical equipment, 1999 waiting list initiative, cardiovascular strategy, cancer strategy and accident and emergency department.
I am sure the Deputy will agree that the additional funding and capital developments which I mentioned above are evidence of this Government's commitment to Beaumont Hospital and to the overall improvement of acute hospital services on the north side of Dublin.
Ivor Callely
Question:
257
Mr. Callely
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
the location and speciality of the recognised national hospitals; the hospitals and the number of beds in each hospital in the Dublin area that are allocated to their specialty; the waiting list for each hospital; if he will provide a regional breakdown of those waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6203/99]
There are a number of formally designated national specialty services within individual hospitals in Dublin. These would include the National Cardiac Surgery Unit at the Mater Hospital, the National Liver Transplant Centre at St. Vincent's Hospital and the National Neurosurgery Centre at Beaumont Hospital, by way of example. In addition, some of the major acute providers offer services which are often perceived as national specialties by virtue of the degree of specialist expertise which has been developed within the relevant hospitals by individual consultants or the specialties concerned.
National specialties are provided as part of the individual hospital's overall services and bed capacity and as such are resourced within the hospital's total annual determination; it would not be possible to provide a breakdown of the beds allocated to each national specialty.
In the context of the proposed establishment of the new eastern regional health authority, there are a number of critical issues which fall to be considered regarding future arrangements for the formal designation of and funding arrangements for national specialty services. My Department has indicated to the chief executive officers of the major hospitals that this issue is currently under detailed consideration within the Department.
My Department is conscious of the need to improve efficiencies in the delivery of acute services, both at regional and national level and to ensure that the patient interest is served at all times. The recently announced proposals for the establishment of joint structures for both the paediatric and maternity services serve as an example of a departmental initiative in this area. My Department is considering the scope for developing other collaborative networks within the acute sector with the aim of improving service provision at local, regional and national levels.
Finally with regard to the Deputy's query about waiting lists, I must point out that waiting list figures collected by my Department relate to the numbers of people on the in-patient waiting lists of a particular hospital rather than to a patient's place of residence. It would not therefore be possible to give details of people waiting on a county by county basis. The numbers on the waiting list at all the acute Dublin hospitals at the end of December 1998, the most recent period for which information is available is as per attached list.
|
Hospital
|
No. on Waiting List on 31-12-98
|
|
James Connolly Memorial Hospital
|
169
|
|
Beaumont Hospital
|
2,487
|
|
The Coombe Women's Hospital
|
116
|
|
Mater Misericordiae Hospital
|
3,855
|
|
National Maternity Hospital, Holles St.
|
92
|
|
Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin
|
560
|
|
Rotunda Hospital
|
277
|
|
Royal Victoria Eye & Ear Hospital
|
786
|
|
St. Mary's Hospital, Cappagh
|
1,696
|
|
St. Michael's Hospital, Dun Laoghaire
|
239
|
|
St. Vincent's Hospital
|
2,547
|
|
St. James's Hospital
|
1,996
|
|
Tallaght Hospital
|
1,610
|
|
The Children's Hospital, Temple St.
|
794
|
