Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

The most recent information on bed closures in the acute hospital system is for the week ending 7 November. At that point 892 inpatient beds and 19 day beds were closed for reasons of infection control, refurbishment or cost containment. This is from a complement of approximately 11,800 inpatient beds and 1,800 day beds in the public hospital system.

Access to appropriate care for patients is not about the number of beds in the hospital but about providing quality care and improving outcomes for patients. Previously many procedures such as varicose vein surgery and hernia procedures required patients to stay in hospital. These can now be provided, in the main, on a day-case basis. This is better for patients and a more efficient use of resources. The average cost of an inpatient bed is €889 per day or €324,485 per year.

There is a significant variation between hospitals on the length of stay of patients in hospital for similar procedures. Reducing the length of stay in hospitals whcih have above average lengths of stay will be good for patients, as well as being more cost-effective. Hospitals are also working to reduce admissions by, for example, identifying patients who may only need diagnostics and should not require an inpatient stay in hospital.

In 2009 the combined number of inpatient and day case discharges was 3% greater than in 2008. The HSE's national plan for 2010 maintains the focus on increased efficiency and is committed to delivering broadly the same level of overall hospital activity as in 2009. It is important that the clear focus of the health service is on the number of patients we treat, not on the number of beds. Increasingly our focus is on measuring patient outcomes. This will continue to be the focus in the coming years.

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