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Covid-19 Pandemic

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 July 2020

Tuesday, 7 July 2020

Questions (828, 829)

Louise O'Reilly

Question:

828. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of procedures, treatments and surgeries carried out under the Covid-19 private hospital deal by hospital in tabular form. [14357/20]

View answer

Louise O'Reilly

Question:

829. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the breakdown of the average bed occupancy of hospitals over the course of the Covid-19 private hospital deal by hospital in tabular form. [14358/20]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 828 and 829 together.

A major part of the Government's Action Plan in response to Covid-19 was to substantially increase the capacity of public healthcare facilities to cope with the anticipated additional demand. In order to urgently ramp up capacity for acute care facilities, an arrangement was agreed with the private hospitals to use their facilities as part of the public system on a temporary basis, to provide essential services. A Heads of Terms of Agreement between the HSE and the Private Hospitals was agreed at the end of March 2020 and all 18 of the acute private hospitals signed up to it. Under the arrangement, all patients in the private hospitals are treated as public patients and their treatment is prioritised based on clinical need.

The agreement was reviewed at the end of May and the Government decided that the existing arrangement should not be extended beyond the end of June. It has however mandated the HSE to negotiate a new arrangement with private hospitals which would provide the HSE with full access to private hospital capacity in the event of a surge of Covid-19 and separately with ongoing agreed access, to enable the HSE to meet essential and elective care needs.

My Department has been advised by the HSE that as of June 29, 12,301 patients had been discharged from private hospitals having undergone an inpatient procedure since the arrangement between the HSE and private hospitals came into force. In the same period 51,194 daycase procedures took place in private hospitals, as well as 80,644 diagnostic appointments and 49,3337 outpatient appointments. Utilisation rates show that as of June 29 2020, 49% of private inpatient beds were in use, up from 43% at the start of May

In relation to the data requested regarding the breakdown of the average bed occupancy of hospitals over the course of the Covid-19 private hospital deal by hospital, and the breakdown of activity by private hospital, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.

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