Growing concern over bed closures

The current level of hospital bed closures will lead to more patients on ED trolleys, more cancelled operations and longer waiting lists, according to Fine Gael health spokesman Dr James Reilly.

Dr Reilly said the Government that promised 3,000 extra hospital beds is now slashing the same amount out of the system.

He was responding to a report yesterday on RTE News that showed there are over 1,500 beds closed or unavailable for a variety of reasons including cutbacks and delayed discharges.

Bed closures are set to accelerate this year, as the HSE moves to cut around 1,000 beds from the system and as hospitals struggle to cope with reduced budgets.

Under the HSE's 2010 service plan, as an alternative to inpatient care, more alternatives to hospital treatment are to be provided including day care, more chronic disease management in primary care, and through quicker direct access to x-rays and other diagnostic testing services.

The HSE also says some of the inpatient beds earmarked for closure will be converted from inpatient to five-day and day beds.

However, there are increasing concerns that proposed alternatives to inpatient care will not materialise quickly enough to compensate for the bed closures, and that services will therefore continue to suffer.

The HSE has  said it is hoped that some of the planned bed closures will be offset by beds currently occupied by delayed discharged patients being freed up as the Fair Deal scheme kicks in and provides additional long-stay accommodation outside hospitals.

See also: '15% of hospital beds to go'

[Posted: Tue 25/05/2010]