Health Service Staff.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 May 2005

Tuesday, 31 May 2005

Ceisteanna (122)

John Cregan

Ceist:

132 Mr. Cregan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of persons working in the health service; the division of same broken down into the main categories of workers, for example, doctors, nurses, paramedics, administrators and maintenance; if similar figures will be provided for every year or a selected number of years over the past 20 years; if data will be provided for the number of public hospital beds; the trend in same over recent years; the basis of the requirement; if it is one bed per specific number of population, and if the number of beds has been increased due to the population increase of 1 million from 1971 to 2002. [17920/05]

Freagraí scríofa

Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children (Ms Harney)

The information requested by the Deputy on health service staff is set out in the following table for the years 1990 to the end of 2004. Comparable data for previous years is not available. The significantly increased staffing levels over this period must be viewed in the context of the substantial service developments which have occurred, particularly in the areas of child protection and intellectual disability services. There have also been significant increases in staffing levels in acute hospitals arising from the national cancer strategy and the cardiovascular strategy.

As regards bed capacity, the number of inpatient beds decreased from 17,665 in 1980 to 11,862 in 2000. Approximately 4,000 inpatient beds were removed from the system between 1984 and 1988. A further 2,000 were removed between 1991 and 1993. In 2001 my Department carried out a detailed study of acute hospital bed requirements up to 2011 and published Acute Hospitals Bed Capacity — a National Review in January 2002. The study examined current bed capacity and activity in acute hospitals and developed a framework for estimating future acute hospital capacity requirements. The study took account of current service pressures, projected increases in total population, the rise in the number of older people, increasing demand for services and potential changes in clinical practice. It also highlighted the need to expand hospital services for public patients.

In the health strategy the Government committed itself to improve access for public patients. This is to be achieved through a series of measures, including the provision of additional public hospital inpatient beds and day places. Since the publication of the health strategy, funding has been provided to open an additional 900 inpatient beds and day places in acute hospitals throughout the country. Of this figure, 720 are in place and the remainder will come on stream before the end of 2005.

In 2004 the average number of inpatient beds and day places available in public acute hospitals was 13,409 — source: Department of Health and Children — Integrated Management Returns 2004.

Health Service Staffing end-1990 to end-20041

Grade Category	1990	1992	1994	1996	1998	2000	2002	2004
Medical/Dental	3,994	4,155	4,417	4,684	5,153	5,698	6,775	7,013
of which: Consultants	1,079	1,109	1,156	1,212	1,321	1,435	1,693	1,873
Nursing	20,768	22,057	23,152	24,584	26,611	28,578	33,395	34,313
Health and Social Care Professionals2	4,171	4,386	5,011	5,553	6,390	7,579	12,519	12,830
Management/Administrative3	6,649	6,971	7,635	8,173	9,480	12,366	15,690	16,157
General Support Staff and Other Patient and Client Care	18,214	18,254	19,041	19,968	22,005	25,250	27,300	28,410
of which: General Support Staff	18,214	18,254	19,041	19,968	22,005	25,250	13,807	13,857
Other Patient and Client Care							13,493	14,553
Total	53,796	55,823	59,256	62,961	69,640	79,472	95,679	98,723

Source: Health Service Personnel Census at 31 December.

Notes:

1All figures are in wholetime equivalence terms (in order to provide data on a comparable basis over the period these figures exclude Home Helps, Student Nurses and Chaplains).

2The professionalisation of Child Care Workers/House Parents resulted in grade category shift of these grades from Other Patient Care to Health and Social Care Professionals in 2001-2002. This change together with other changes of a less substantial nature have resulted in making direct comparisons over extended periods unreliable for these categories.

3Includes all management/administrative and clerical personnel. The Management/Administrative Category includes — staff who are of direct service to the public and include Consultant's Secretaries, Out-Patient Departmental Personnel, Medical Records Personnel, Telephonists and other staff who are engaged in front-line duties together with staff in the following categories Payroll, Human Resource Management (including training), Service Managers, IT Staff, General Management Support and Legislative and Information Requirements.