Vol. 501 No. 3
262 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the assessment, if any, he has carried out of the number of hospital beds required in each discipline to meet demands arising from increased population and demographic structures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6231/99]
The total number of designated acute hospital beds at 25 January 1999 was 12,286. The existing acute hospital bed stock has been accommodating an ever increasing level of activity in the acute hospital sector over recent years. In the period January to October 1998, for instance, total discharges, both in-patient and day cases, in the acute hospital system were up 3 per cent on the same period in 1997. The increasing level of activity is largely being facilitated by significant increases in the level of hospital care being delivered on a day case basis, in line with trends in modern medical practice. In 1998, day case activity for the first ten months of the year showed an increase of almost 9 per cent over the same period in 1997. This trend, together with increased activity at out-patient level and reduced in-patient average lengths of stay, points to the achievement of a more effective use of the acute hospital bed stock to the benefit of the many thousands of extra patients who are now receiving treatment in our hospitals.
The adequacy of existing resources, including bed numbers, to meet the needs of the population is kept under constant review, particularly in light of emerging demographic trends. In this regard, it has been agreed with the Department of Finance that the next major programme review of health expenditure should focus on acute hospitals and services for the elderly. It is proposed that the review will address the existing overall capacity of the system, taking account of changing demographic structures and equity of access to services.
