Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 20 Feb 2002

Vol. 549 No. 1

Written Answers. - Hospital Services.

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

97 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the statement from the Eastern Regional Health Authority that it will provide an additional 350 beds for public patients in its hospitals in 2002 if funding is provided; if it is intended to provide the funding for these beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5770/02]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

A comprehensive review of acute hospital bed capacity needs was conducted by my Department in conjunction with the Department of Finance and in consultation with the social partners. The review, which was published on 16 January 2002, helped to inform the Government in its decision to provide a total of 3,000 additional acute beds for public patients over the next ten years. This represents the largest ever concentrated expansion of acute hospital capacity in Ireland.

In tandem with the publication of the review, I announced the first phase of these additional beds with the commissioning of an extra 709 acute hospital beds, of which 335 are in the eastern region. These additional beds include 70 beds at St. Joseph's Hospital, Raheny, and 42 beds at St. Michael's Hospital, Dún Laoghaire. Both were formerly private hospitals and control of them has now transferred to the public system.

As part of the national review of bed capacity, the Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA, prepared a comprehensive needs assessment, indicating a requirement for 1,276 additional acute beds by 2011 to meet increasing demands in the region. The objective of the ERHA review was to determine the number of additional acute beds required within the eastern region having regard to good standards of efficiency, population characteristics and medical-healthcare developments.

I also invited the ERHA and the health boards to submit proposals on measures which could be put in place in the short-term to bring additional bed capacity into the acute hospital system. In this regard, the ERHA submitted proposals to my Department which identified potential to increase the acute hospital bed complement in the region by 325 beds and ten extra day care places by 2003. I was pleased to allocate revenue funding of £3 million to the ERHA in May 2001 to support the initiatives proposed. This funding was utilised by the ERHA to fund the early commissioning of 53 additional beds and to support a number of initiatives aimed at alleviating pressure on A&E departments and improving patient services.

Additional proposals identified by the ERHA are being examined by my Department and will be considered in the context of available funding and other competing demands.

Question No. 98 answered with Question No. 89.