Vol. 525 No. 2
107 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Health and Children the total number of beds available in the new Tallaght Hospital by comparison to the total number of beds that were available in the four constituent hospitals in existence prior to the inception of Tallaght Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19293/00]
As I am sure the Deputy is aware, the new public hospital at Tallaght opened on 21 June 1998. The hospital incorporates the activities of the former Adelaide, Meath and National Children's Hospitals and includes certain services from St. Loman's Psychiatric Hospital. Prior to the transfer of services to Tallaght the three acute general hospitals had a total of 534 hospital beds designated under the Health (In-patient services) Regulations 1991. The hospital currently has a total of 464 designated hospital beds and when it opened it also had access to 35 dedicated step-down beds in the old Meath Hospital. There are also 56 acute psychiatric beds on the campus which transferred from St. Loman's Hospital. In addition, I understand the hospital has recently completed the development of a private wing with 75 beds which brings the total number of acute beds at the hospital equal to that number which were operational at the base hospitals.
The reduction in bed numbers was planned because it had been observed in the planning of the new hospital at Tallaght that there was an increasing demand for out-patient and day care services in the base hospitals, and the design of the new hospital reflected this need by providing more day care beds and less in-patient beds.
Additional step-down beds will be available to the hospital this year. As part of the winter initiative which I announced recently, the ERHA will have access to an additional 495 beds by the end of March 2001.
As the Deputy may be aware, I have initiated a national review of bed capacity in both the acute and non-acute sectors. This review is in line with the commitment in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. The review is being conducted by my Department in conjunction with the Department of Finance and in consultation with the social partners. I have presented the interim findings of the review to my Government colleagues and identified a range of short to medium term investment proposals aimed at addressing identified service difficulties in both sectors.
The second phase of the bed review is now under way and will involve the development of a longer term investment strategy for the acute and non-acute sectors. The review will also involve a more detailed assessment of need, including an analysis of future bed requirements by speciality. I anticipate that the review will be completed in Spring 2001.
We have reviews, task forces, committees, commissions, studies – everything except action. This Government has been in office for ten and a half of the past 13 years and our health system, which has the potential to be one of the best in Europe, is in crisis and is one of the worst. Who paid for the 75 private beds?
I will get the details of that later. The point is—
Who paid for the beds? Did somebody privately pay for them or did the taxpayer pay for them?
I do not have the exact details of the background to that matter. The key point is that Tallaght Hospital was designed in 1984—
I have asked the Minister a question which was – who paid for the 75 beds?
I said I would have the details on that.
The Chair has not called the Deputy. I ask for order.
I want my question answered.
Order, please. I have asked the Deputy—
The Deputy is not interested in asking questions. He is interested in polemic.
I have asked the Minister to say who paid for the 75 beds.
The Deputy has not been called by the Chair and I ask him to resume his seat. The Minister is in possession.
The Minister has not answered the question.
The Deputy has not been called by the Chair.
I said I would return with the details.
Deputy Mitchell has not been called by the Chair and his microphone is not operative when he is not called.
The Minister is not answering my question.
The Chair decides who is to ask—
I will not sit here and listen to that standard reply.
The Minister is in possession. The Deputy should cease interrupting. The Deputy will be called.
The original question related to the complement of beds in Tallaght Hospital and I have comprehensively answered that question.
In his reply the Minister stated that 75 beds—
The Deputy has not been called by the Chair.
Who paid for them?
I call Deputy Mitchell.
In his reply the Minister, trying to butter up the figures – his usual three card trick – said there were 75 private beds in the hospital. I asked who paid for those beds.
I do not have the information to hand.
The Minister should know who paid for those beds. The Minister knows the taxpayer paid for those beds. The Minister has told the House he does not know the answer. What does the Minister think this Chamber is? This is the Parliament, not some sort of a bloody back of pub—
The Deputy should resume his seat.
The Minister should check his file.
In relation to these private beds, are we not in effect seeing a privatisation in terms of the total complement of beds which were present in the old acute hospitals? I would be very glad if this was not the case and if the Minister would correct me.
Does the Minister accept that we have one of the lowest number of hospital beds per head of population in the western world and that he can do things now while he is waiting for the review? For example, will the Minister fast track the provision of the paediatric A&E unit at St. Colmcille's Hospital where there are 15 paediatric beds which are under utilised because children are being automatically referred to Tallaght where the service is over-subscribed? I ask that the unit be developed quickly at St. Colmcille's Hospital in Loughlinstown, thereby adding almost 15 additional beds to the system.
I will consider that. The old hospitals had 134 private and semi-private beds. I was not making up the figures. I present them as I was given them. Some 59 of those went with the hospital into the new hospital and 75 went—
Question No. 108 please.
The Minister is opening private beds and closing public beds.
Do not be ridiculous. The Deputy is engaging in polemic and is not interested in Question Time. He is interested only in engaging in political polemic.
