Consultants call on Minister Harris to reverse decision to deliver 40% fewer beds by 2021

• National Development Plan in 2018 promised 780 additional hospital beds by end 2021, but later reduced number to 480 beds in 2019 Capital Plan;
• Over 118,000 patients were forced to wait on trolleys during 2019, peaking to 760 patients in one day in January 2020;
• Government must now commit to fast tracking and funding the total 2,600 additional beds in the NDP much earlier in view of the trolley and waiting list crises. 

IHCA President, Dr. Donal O’Hanlon: “Huge swathes of our acute public hospital services are effectively now shut down. 

“Many emergency departments can no longer even accommodate trolleys; essential, time-critical surgery is being cancelled across our hospitals; and, patient safety is increasingly being compromised. 

“It’s time to give our acute hospitals and patients what they most need - increased beds and medical specialists”.

Hospital consultants have called on Minister for Health Simon Harris today (Thursday 9 January 2020) to immediately reverse the decision to deliver 300 fewer additional beds by 2021, than that first promised under the National Development Plan (NDP) in 2018. 

According to the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA), the NDP, when published in February 2018, promised 260 additional acute public hospital beds per year. However, the HSE’s Capital Plan published in September last year reduced this target by 300 to just 480 beds. This amounted to an almost 40% (38%) reduction in the already ‘modest’ NDP target of 780 extra beds over the three years. 

In addition to calling on Minister Harris and Government to honour its NDP commitment of 780 additional beds by end 2021, consultants have urged the Government to fast-track and front-load the delivery of the full 2,600 additional beds promised under the Plan much earlier in view of the trolley and waiting list crises. 

Under current plans, these 2,600 beds are not due to be delivered until the end of 2027. However, consultants have expressed concerns that with the original 2021 target cut by almost 40%, the commitment of the Government to reach the full 2,600 additional beds target by 2027 is now questionable.

Consultants have warned that “the government’s proposed drip feed approach of opening a few hundred acute hospital beds per year is clearly insufficient to ease the severe overcrowding being experienced year after year in public acute hospitals”. 

Providing enough bed capacity and filling the 500 unfilled permanent consultant posts are two measures which consultants believe are critical to addressing the capacity issues in our public hospitals. 

One in five of all permanent consultant posts are currently unfilled, despite the HSE spending over €2 billion on agency staff, including locum and agency consultants, since 2011. 

According to IHCA President, Dr. Donal O’Hanlon:

“Huge swathes of our acute public hospital services are effectively now shut down. Many emergency departments can no longer even accommodate trolleys; essential, time-critical surgery is being cancelled across our hospitals; and, patient safety is increasingly being compromised.

“More beds and medical specialists are central to solving the capacity problems in our public hospitals. 

“We have heard promises of an additional 199 beds by the end of January, but overall the government’s proposed drip feed approach of opening a few hundred acute hospital beds per year is clearly insufficient to ease the severe overcrowding being experienced year after year in public acute hospitals.

“What is not being acknowledged is that even the NDP’s modest targets for additional beds in our public hospitals have been scaled back since the plan was first published in 2018. Patients need a commitment to reverse this decision and deliver the promised 780 beds by end 2021. 

“Equally, over recent years, the HSE have spent hundreds of millions on agency medical specialists, whilst failing to fill the one-in-five vacant permanent consultant posts which have remained open over many years. 

“The chaotic scenes we have seen across our acute public hospitals this week is a direct result of ignoring the huge capacity deficits in our system over many years. It’s time for our Minister and Government to end their procrastination and give our acute hospitals and patients what they most need - increased beds and medical specialists”.

ENDS.  

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Lauren Murphy │ lauren@pr360.ie │ 01 637 1777 │ 083 801 5917
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