Vol. 498 No. 1
258 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children the additional resources to be provided to health care providers to allow them to move further towards day case work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26746/98]
It is my policy to encourage acute hospitals to run at maximum efficiency and to avail of the possibility of day care treatment as an alternative to in-patient care, where clinically appropriate. This policy has been supported in recent years both through capital programmes in the acute sector and through service developments funded by my Department. I will continue to look for opportunities in this area in discussions with health agencies on their 1999 service plans.
260 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will report on the progress of the reaching of agreement under each agency's service plan regarding the mix of public and private patients treated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26748/98]
The service plans which, under the Health (Amendment) (No. 3) Act, health boards are required to adopt and submit annually to me as Minister for Health and Children, are used both for the planning and monitoring of service delivery. There has been a particular emphasis on the need to involve professionals, including especially hospital consultants, in the development of service plans, and while this is only the second year that service plans have been a legislative requirement, emphasis has been placed on the need to address the issues related to the mix of public and private patients treated in hospitals.
The main method of monitoring acute hospital activity is through the integrated management reports sent each month to my Department by health boards and public voluntary hospitals. In addition, implementation of the 1991 Health (Amendment) Act and associated regulations relating to the designation and use of public and private beds in such a way as ensure equity of access, is monitored on a quarterly basis. I have decided that from 1 January 1999 this monitoring will be carried out monthly and the relevant returns sent to my Department with the integrated management report. My Department has already notified the relevant health agencies of this increased monitoring.
