Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 October 2021
826. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health his views on and the position regarding the committed funding to increase ICU beds and that figure in comparison to other European countries in terms of ICU beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50980/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland has an acknowledged deficit in critical care capacity, as set out in the 2018 Health Service Capacity Review. This Government is committed to addressing this, as set out in the Strategic Plan for Critical Care which Government noted in December 2020.
The Strategic Plan fully addresses the recommendations of the 2018 Health Service Capacity Review for 430 critical care beds by 2031 and in fact surpasses that recommendation by setting out the intention to increase capacity to 446 over time.
Significant funding of €52m was provided in Budget 2021 to progress Phase 1 of the Strategic Plan for Critical Care. Further funding of €10.5m has been provided in Budget 2022 which will add a further 19 beds. This will bring the number of permanent critical care beds from 255 in 2020 to 340 by the end of 2022/early 2023. This represents a 33% increase, or an additional 85 beds funded since 2020.
The funding allocated includes education and training initiatives to increase the critical care workforce and for investment in critical care retrieval services.
