Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 June 2020
565. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the plans in place for a second wave of Covid-19 in the view of the fact that a number of major hospitals are now working at 100% capacity and that the health service should only be running at 80% to provide for surge capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13649/20]
View answerThe initial focus for acute hospital preparedness for Covid-19 was on building up surge capacity to ensure the maximum possible number of critical care and general acute beds were available to cope with the predicted number of Covid-19 cases requiring hospitalisation.
The acute hospital system and critical care service coped, largely due to the success of public health measures in flattening the curve and the fall-off in non-Covid care. The additional demand for critical care was met by surge ICU capacity, with clinical staff redeployed from other hospital services and locations. However, this was in the context of low levels of care being provided in other areas of the hospital.
The need to increase critical care capacity is a key learning of the pandemic response. Accordingly, consideration is being given to permanent strategic critical care capacity requirements, and the Department and the HSE are currently engaging in this regard.
On 8 June 8 the HSE published a Strategic Framework for ‘Service Continuity in a Covid Environment’. The document can be found at the following link https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/newsfeatures/covid19-updates/service-continuity-in-a-covid-environment-a-strategic-framework-for-delivery.pdf .
In the framework document the HSE outline the key actions for delivery to protect surge capacity. The key actions include;
1. Complete a service review and assessment of additional capacity / alternatives for service provision e.g Private hospitals, field hospitals, Community Assessment Hubs.
2. Develop continuity plans, including risk stratification, for the reintroduction and reduction of services within hospital groups and CHOs, to prepare for a potential COVID surge.
3. Develop and implement pathways and support services across community and acute settings in order to promote hospital avoidance.
The implementation of the Framework will ensure service resumption is done in an integrated and phased manner. It will consolidate new ways of working and build on international knowledge.
