Written Answers. - Hospital Services.
Charles Flanagan
Ceist:
133
Mr. Flanagan
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
if he proposes to undertake a strategic review of the acute general hospital service; and his view on whether such a review would be a valuable contribution to future health policy planning.
[9767/00]
Ivor Callely
Ceist:
183
Mr. Callely
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
the time schedule for completion of the review of hospital bed capacity in both acute and non-acute settings; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10146/00]
Alan Shatter
Ceist:
213
Mr. Shatter
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
if he proposes to undertake a strategic review of the acute general hospital service; and his view on whether such a review would be a valuable contribution to future health policy planning.
[10207/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 133, 183 and 213 together.
This Government, and in particular my predecessor, has taken a number of significant initiatives in the acute hospital sector to ensure that services are reformed, reorganised and properly geared towards the needs of the population. Specific initiatives include the preparation of a cardiovascular health strategy, including targeted funding for cardiac surgery; continuing implementation of the national cancer strategy; a plan for the development of renal services; the establishment of a medical manpower forum; the opening of a new hospital at Tallaght; the development of a hospital accreditation programme together with a range of initiatives in areas such as acute hospital governance and management development, clinicians in management, laboratory accreditation and technology assessment.
In addition, the recent establishment of the Eastern Regional Health Authority, which came into operation on 1 March, will provide for major structural reform in the management and co-ordination of acute hospital services in the eastern region. I expect that this initiative which involves 50% of the country's acute hospital services will have a significant positive impact on the provision of these services. On the capital side, the Government is investing an additional £1 billion to remedy existing infrastructural deficiencies across the acute hospital sector, including in particular the promotion of a continuing shift to day care and the development of appropriate links with community based services. Taken together, these initiatives will serve to significantly enhance the level and quality of existing hospital services. However, much more remains to be done.
One of the key tasks to be undertaken is the need to review the whole area of hospital bed capacity. Deputies will be aware that the Government is committed in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness to a review of bed capacity in both the acute and non-acute settings. I am pleased to inform the House that this review has now commenced and will be conducted by my Department in conjunction with the Department of Finance and the social partners. The review is of critical importance in the context of assessing the capacity of the hospital system to manage periodic surges in emergency admissions and the reduction of waiting times for elective treatment. I am anxious that the review be conducted as a priority and it is my intention that the findings will inform discussions in the context of the Estimates for 2001. I have already had discussions with the chief executive officers of the health boards in relation to the scope of the review.
Key components of the review will include: an examination of the effectiveness of existing measures in place to ensure appropriate use of accident and emergency departments and the scope for further measures to improve the management of the demand for acute beds; the development of a quantitative profile of capacity utilisation throughout the acute system and in particular the scope for improved management of the existing in-patient workload and increased use of day care facilities; and a review of the measures currently in place to ensure timely discharge to appropriate care for patients who have completed the acute phase of their treatment.
The assessment of existing and future capacity will also need to have regard to a number of fundamental principles which need to underpin the future provision of services: equitable access to care for public patients; availability of prompt treatment within a reasonable period; the pro vision of the most appropriate form of care in the correct setting; the organisation and delivery of a patient centred and flexible service; the comprehensive integration of services across traditional boundaries; and an emphasis on measurement of outcomes and the appropriateness of treatment.
