Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 May 2017
260. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which deficiencies in the delivery of the health service have been identified in specific areas; if specific deficiencies have been identified as a percentage of the overall delivery structures; his plans to identify such issues (details supplied) with a view to addressing these issues in the short to medium term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21082/17]
View answer262. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if the optimum number of medical and surgical beds required to meet the population needs now and in the future has been identified; his plans to achieve the appropriate target; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21084/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 260 and 262 together.
My Department has commenced the Health Service Capacity Review over recent weeks. Work has been progressing on the Review process, including putting in place the Review structures, finalising the Terms of Reference, assessing external expertise requirements, and considering options for stakeholder consultation.
The review is being led by my Department and overseen by a Steering Group which is now in place. Also, an independent peer group of international health experts has been established to review and validate the review methodology and findings. My Department has recently gone to tender for technical, analytical and engagement expertise to assist in the Review process.
Assessing capacity requirements, including those mentioned by the Deputy, is a complex task and cannot be divorced from considerations on the underlying model of care we want to develop for the Irish health service. It is widely acknowledged that primary care can provide more appropriate and effective management and treatment of some illnesses and conditions, especially chronic diseases. Similarly, the availability of non-acute beds and services in the community can mitigate the need for acute hospital admission, or facilitate earlier discharge. These factors directly contribute to the demands on the acute hospital system.
For this reason, I have confirmed already that the review will have a wider scope than previous exercises and will examine key elements of primary and community care infrastructure in addition to hospital facilities.
The Terms of Reference for the review are as follows:
a) to determine and review current capacity, both public and private, in the health system and benchmark with international comparators;
b) to determine drivers of future demand and estimate impact on capacity requirements to 2030;
c) to consider and analyse how key reforms to the model of care will impact on future capacity requirements across the system; and
d) to provide an overall assessment, including prioritisation and sequencing, of future capacity requirements on a phased basis for the period 2017 – 2030 at a national and regional level, cognisant of resource availability.
It is essential that this review is progressed sufficiently to enable it to feed into the mid-term review of the capital programme, which will take place later in the year. While the review will consider capacity requirements over the next decade or so, I am anxious that it also provides a short-term focus and determines how capital and other investment over the coming years can be best targeted, given the current pressures within our hospital services.
I look forward to the emerging findings later in the year.
