Vol. 508 No. 2
15 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will give a breakdown of the acute hospitals in the Dublin area; the catchment area each hospital serves; the population in each catchment area; the age and dependency profiles involved; the identified population growth areas of the city; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18189/99]
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.
The time for questions has expired. I must proceed to providing the information appertaining to Adjournment debates.
On a point of order, I wish to raise a matter with you, Sir. Yesterday evening, written replies to questions to the Minister for Health and Children were not supplied to Deputies until after 7 p.m.. I wish to draw to your attention, Sir, in order to protect the rights of Deputies, that, as of 2 p.m. today, some of the answers to those questions were incomplete and not in legible form. As of two o'clock today some of the answers to the questions were incomplete and illegible. It is a rule of the House that answers to written questions should be furnished by approximately 4.30 p.m. that day. I have drawn the attention of the House to this difficulty in the past. The Department of Health and Children is the only Department with which this difficulty regularly arises.
I ask the Minister, not in a spirit of confrontation, to ensure that the replies to the remaining questions on today's Order Paper are furnished to the General Office by 4.30 p.m. and not at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. and that they are in legible form and do not consist of badly photocopied documents.
I acknowledge the Deputy's remarks. When this was brought to my attention yesterday evening I rang the Deputy to apologise. The mistake was mine in that I understood the questions that were left for my perusal were for today when they were, in fact, yesterday's questions. I did not have an opportunity to vet them. That was my fault and I, rather than the Department, take responsibility for that.
I am not responsible for illegibility. That criticism might be somewhat over the top.
Not where figures are concerned.
If there are problems, they should be specifically brought to my attention. It might be that the machinery in whatever section of the Department is faulty and must be sorted out. However, that has not been brought to my attention. If there are specific areas where that arises, it might be due to the location at which the answers are being compiled and I will deal with it.
I appreciate the Minister's reply. In a number of cases – this affected other Deputies as well as myself – statistical tables were to be produced as part of the replies but in most instances the tables were not included. They were not received this morning either. Telephone calls had to be made to the Department seeking them. They were sent through on fax machines but were simply illegible.
That is not satisfactory and I give an undertaking that it will not happen again.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.
