Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 29 Sep 1999

Vol. 508 No. 1

Written Answers. - Hospital Facilities.

Alan Shatter

Ceist:

505 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the theatre facilities constructed in each hospital which are not being utilised; the specialty for which the theatres were constructed; if the non-utilisation derives from the absence of funding to equip the theatres or the absence of consultants and nursing staff to facilitate their usage; the facilities such as wards which are closed or which have not been opened for patient use and the purposes for which they were constructed; the length of time in each case; the relevant theatres, wards or other facilities completed and not used; and the cost of construction and equipping in this regard. [18036/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen):

An unprecedented level of investment is now taking place in acute hospital facilities under the current capital programme. In line with my strategy for the development of acute hospital services on a regionally self-sufficient basis, this process of investment is aimed at developing a strong network of regional and local general hospitals. In 1999, a total of £155 million has been provided for capital investment in the health services, a significant proportion of which has been directed into the acute hospital area.

Significant progress has also been made on the phased commissioning of new units completed under the capital programme. In 1999, a total of £11.5 million has been provided to meet the revenue costs associated with doing this. This is enabling major new facilities such as those completed under phase 1 at University College Hospital, Galway and phase 1 at the Mercy Hospital, Cork to be fully staffed and brought into service this year and has allowed significant progress to be made on the phased completion of commissioning the major developments at Limerick Regional Hospital.

The following is a list of uncommissioned newly constructed hospital units:

Limerick Regional Hospital

Phase 1 developments

Two main operating theatres (out of a total of seven).

One day theatre (out of two).

One ICU bed (out of a unit of seven).

Two renal dialysis stations (out of eight).

These units have been available for occupation since August 1998.

Phase 2 developments

Two radiology rooms (out of ten).

These rooms have been available since December 1998.

The new accident and emergency and paediatric departments are at present being fitted out and equipped and are not yet ready for occupation. The accident and emergency department is presently temporarily located in what will become a new medical day unit.

University College Hospital Galway

Two operating theatres (out of a total of nine, available since October 1998).

One 26 bed ward (available since March 1999).

Ten observation beds in accident and emergency (available since June 1999).

Two X-ray rooms (out of a total of seven, available since May 1999).

As I mentioned, I have provided funding in 1999 to enable the Western Health Board to commission fully these facilities by the end of the year.

The Adelaide and Meath Hospital Incorporating The National Childrens Hospital Tallaght

Four theatres out of development of 12 remain uncommissioned since the opening of the hospital in June 1998. The present commissioned level of theatre capacity at the hospital represents the full requirement for transferring services from the base hospitals. The further commissioning of the theatre capacity there will be kept under review in the context of overall developments.

The construction and equipping costs of these uncommissioned units would not be readily available as they would be reflected in the total project costs for the major developments of which they formed component parts.

In general terms, I am satisfied that the hospital system is delivering a satisfactory level of activity. In the first six months of 1999 overall discharges, in-patient and day case, are up over 3.6 per cent over the same period in 1998. Within this overall increase, day case work has increased by almost 12 per cent. This comes on top of an overall activity increase of 3 per cent in 1998 over 1997 levels. Allied with the reduction of 3,000 or some 8 per cent achieved on in-patient waiting list numbers in the target specialities over the first six months of this year, I am satisfied that effective use of available resources, including theatre capacity, is being made in the delivery of hospital services.