Written Answers. - Hospital Services.
John Gormley
Question:
90
Mr. Gormley
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
the way in which Ireland compares in a European Union league table on the number of beds per head of population; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[17620/03]
I presume the Deputy is referring to the OECD economic survey on Ireland published in May 2003 which stated that Ireland was below the OECD average for acute hospital beds per 1,000 population.
At the outset it should be pointed out that the OECD advises caution in the interpretation of the cross-country data provided on health contained in its recent survey. The OECD health survey is based on Irish data for 1999 and is compared with data from other countries for the years 1997 and 1998. Health care systems differ significantly across the range of OECD countries. It should also be noted that the Irish data on the number of acute beds do not include the acute beds located in private hospitals in Ireland while some OECD countries include acute beds in private hospitals.
Data on the number of acute beds per 1,000 population cannot be considered in isolation from the average length of stay and the capacity for day case treatment. The OECD notes that the average length of stay in an acute bed in Ireland is below the OECD average.
The OECD survey refers specifically to in-patient beds, which are those beds accommodating patients who are formally admitted to a hospital for treatment and/or care and who stay for a minimum of one night in the hospital. However, it should be noted that day activity is now a significant component of hospital-based care in Ireland and there has been a rapid movement in the last few years towards day case work where a variety of routine and complex treatments, surgery and diagnostic tests can now be performed with the patient being admitted and discharged from hospital on the same day. Evidence shows that much of the growth is the result of technological and medical innovations, such as less invasive surgery and advances in anaesthetics. There has been an increase of 13% in the number of day cases between 2001 and 2002, which is similar to the increases experienced in preceding years. This increase reflects the increasing ability of the hospital system to treat more patients on a day basis.
A review of acute hospital bed needs was undertaken by my Department. This review, entitled Acute Hospital Bed Capacity – A National Review, was published in January 2002. A specific section of the national bed review examined international comparisons of bed capacity and considered the position of Ireland relative to other OECD countries using OECD health data.
On foot of the bed capacity report the Government decided in the context of the health strategy to provide an additional 3,000 beds in acute hospitals by 2011. I introduced the first phase of this process and provided funding for an additional 709 acute beds in the period 2002 to 2003, representing a 6% increase in acute bed capacity. My Department has been informed by health agencies that 551 of these new beds have been opened to date with the remaining beds due to come on stream by the end of the year. At present my Department is examining the regional issues associated with the allocation of the remaining 3,000 acute beds.
