Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has defended the Government’s delivery of acute hospital inpatient beds as being “significantly ahead” of Slaintecare targets, which were set out in a 2018 health service capacity review.
That review found the need for 2,590 extra hospital beds including around 2,100 inpatient, 300 day case, and 190 adult critical care beds.
Last week, the Health Service Executive published an expression of interest (EoI) for submissions for up to 1,500 beds across 15 hospital sites to be delivered during 2023 and 2024.
Speaking to RTE’s News at One on Tuesday, Mr Donnelly said he was putting the plans in place to “move significantly ahead” of targets for bed delivery.
“We’ve added about 1,000 extra beds, and you’ll be aware that we’re looking at plans now for an accelerated bed-building programme to add about another 1,500 on top of that,” he said.
However, the HSE is also still currently in the process of delivering approximately 200 beds of the 1,228 that were due to be delivered in 2021 and 2022.
Asked how the delivery of beds could be characterised as “significantly ahead” when the 2022 target had not been met, a Department of Health spokesman said: “The Minister was merely pointing out that we are now ahead of the phased increase in beds as set out in the review.
“Notwithstanding that progress, he has made clear that he wants to further accelerate the delivery of beds, hence the EoI put out recently by the HSE for the accelerated delivery of 1,500 extra acute beds.”
Asked about the additional staffing capacity needed to cater for additional beds, Mr Donnelly said there has been a record increase in the number of people working in the HSE.
“This will be the fourth record year of recruitment into the HSE in a row,” he said.
He said there were 18,000 more people working in the HSE since the start of the pandemic and added that he wanted a doubling of healthcare college places in Ireland over the next few years.
Mr Donnelly said current hospital overcrowding and delays are partly a result of “an overhang” from Covid-19.
He said hospitals were experiencing delayed diagnosis and treatment, as well as older people presenting who are less resilient than before the pandemic.
“They’re trying to treat people who are coming in through the emergency departments, which requires beds, and they’re trying to – and are succeeding in – reducing the waiting lists, but that also requires beds,” he added.
On Monday, the Minister for Health published the terms of reference for a strategic review of general practice to be completed this year.
Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Donnelly said the Government would also this year phase in State-funded access to GPs for 400,000 people, covering every household below the median income.
Asked if it would be more acceptable to wait for a review of GP capacity to be completed first, Mr Donnelly said: “No, we need to move. People have been waiting far too long.
“This was signed off in 2017, it’s six years later.”
Mr Donnelly said the move would add three visits per week for GPs who have medical card lists.
Accepting the need for more GPs, Mr Donnelly said he intended to triple the number of GPs in training by next year.
Separately, Mr Donnelly said he would be publishing a review of abortion services after bringing it to Cabinet “in the coming weeks”.
He said less than 10% of GPs are currently providing termination of pregnancy services.
“Thee vast majority of women had their needs met in primary care, we’ve over 420 GPS now providing services – that’s up by about 50% in the last few years,” he said.
Mr Donnelly said he would encourage all GPs to provide those services.
