John Gormley
Question:539 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children the way in which public patients scheduled for surgery are sometimes turned away due to the lack of a bed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15479/03]
Written Answers. - Hospital Services.
Patients may have their surgery cancelled due to a variety of factors, including bed and staff availability, infection control measures and pressures on elective services due to an increase in admissions through accident and emergency departments. Approximately 70% of all admissions to the major Dublin hospitals are through accident and emergency departments.
Despite the many pressures, the acute hospital system has continued to increase its productivity. About 968,000 people were treated in 2002 as either in-patients or day patients in acute hospitals. This represents an increase of 5% when compared to the 2001 figure. Since 1997, the number of patients treated in our acute hospitals has increased by approximately 23%.
On foot of the report entitled Acute Hospital Bed Capacity – A National Review the Government has decided, in the context of the health strategy, to provide an additional 3,000 beds in acute hospitals by 2011. This represents the largest ever concentrated expansion of acute hospital capacity in Ireland. In 2002, I announced the first phase of these additional beds with the commissioning of an extra 709 beds in acute hospitals. I am pleased to say that 550 of these beds are in operation and the remaining beds will be brought into use shortly. My Department is currently addressing the regional issues associated with the allocation of the remainder of the 3,000 acute beds.