Dáil debates

Tuesday, 9 April 2019

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions

 

2:25 pm

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----and in Clonmel and many other places as well. By the end of this year, we will be back up to about 11,000 beds in our acute hospital system. That is the highest number since 2009, reversing the policy of the previous Fianna Fáil and Green Party Government to reduce the number of hospital beds, by restoring those beds.

The second area is better use of our existing bed capacity. Obviously a hospital with an average length of stay of six days needs way more beds than one with an average length of stay of four days, even though it sees the same number of patients. That is about making sure that there is reduced length of stay, that patients get out of hospital quicker, and if they are in hospital, that they get their tests and investigations more quickly and are not waiting around for days to see a specialist, have a scan or have an intervention they need.

The third area is investment in primary and community care, because in Ireland we rely too much on our hospital system. Much more can be done in primary and community care. That is why last week's agreement with the IMO on a revised contract for GPs is so significant. It is a 40% increase in resources for general practice over the next three and a half years, including provision of 250 more practice nurses. What are we doing? We are providing for more beds, more efficient use of our existing resources, and a decisive shift to primary and community care.

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