Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 June 2020
566. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health his plans to increase capacity permanently across the health service in order to ensure that in the event of a second wave of Covid-19, there will be immediate availability for Covid-19 patients to be separately cared for to other patients; his plans for emergency departments and for Covid-19 specific hospitals in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13650/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraHealth services must strive to deliver a safe service in all circumstances. In order to mitigate the spread of Covid 19 in health settings public health guidelines in relation to social distancing must be followed.
The Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, commits to the provision of more health services in the community, increases in capacity, including bed, ICU and critical care capacity. It recognises that even before the impact of COVID-19 on our health service, significant additional capacity was required across all aspects of care to provide access to quality services and to meet the needs of our growing population. It specifically commits to continue to invest in healthcare infrastructure and equipment, together with the recommendations of the Capacity Review, in line with Project Ireland 2040 and to ensure capacity for a COVID-19 rapid response, including bed and ICU capacity and for non-COVID emergencies into the longer term, by utilising some private hospital capacity, if necessary.
The Capacity Review found that the net requirement, in a reform scenario, is for an additional 2,590 hospital beds by 2031 (inpatient, day case, critical care) with an immediate requirement for 1,290 beds to address overcrowding and to ensure hospitals operated at 85% occupancy in line with other OECD countries. Approximately 770 of these beds have been provided. The National Development Plan provides for the full 2,590 beds by the earlier date of 2027.
The initial focus for acute hospital preparedness for Covid-19 was on building up surge capacity to ensure the maximum possible number of critical care and general acute beds were available to cope with the predicted number of Covid-19 cases requiring hospitalisation.
The acute hospital system and critical care service coped, largely due to the success of public health measures in flattening the curve and the fall-off in non-Covid care. The additional demand for critical care was met by surge ICU capacity, with clinical staff redeployed from other hospital services and locations.
The need to increase critical care capacity is a key learning of the pandemic response. Accordingly, consideration is being given to permanent strategic critical care capacity requirements, and the Department and the HSE are currently engaging in this regard.
There are no plans for Covid 19 specific hospitals at the present. Hospitals have put in place Covid and non Covid patient pathways, in emergency departments and other areas, to mitigate the risk of infection for patients and staff.
