David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My point is not so much about the capacity review because beds comprise only one of the ingredients needed. Having spoken to many hospital managers and front-line healthcare staff, I realise that if we are to reduce waiting lists, we will need more beds. The reason there was such a wide range given for the number of beds that may be required, from 2,500 to 7,500, was the figure was dependent on what would happen in the community, including in respect of nursing home beds, recovery beds and step-down beds and the rolling out of the enhanced community care programme. The more that happens, the fewer beds we may need, but we do need more beds. We may not agree on the precise number.

We just need to get evidence-based approaches to this so we can again agree what we need via a revised bed capacity review. However, we also need public diagnostic capacity and surgical theatre capacity in hospitals and, crucially, all of the enhanced community care roll-out that is needed to ensure people can get the right care at the right time in the right place. That is the joined-up multi-annual plan I want to see - not just a plan regarding beds because beds are only one part of it. We need staff to staff those beds. That has to form part of it, including workforce planning. If we just concentrate on beds alone, we will miss the causes of what is driving waiting lists.

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