Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent)
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92. To ask the Minister for Health his views on data from a recent OECD report showing that Ireland has 2.8 hospital beds per 1,000 of the population compared to an OECD average of 4.8, while Ireland has 2.7 doctors per 1,000 of the population compared with an average of 3.3; and his plans to remedy this situation [4258/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As of September, 2016, acute hospital bed capacity numbered 12,728 beds, comprised of 10,569 inpatient and 2,159 day case beds. The bed capacity figures per 1,000 population recorded by the OECD for the Republic of Ireland, and for the UK, do not include capacity in private hospitals, unlike figures recorded in many other EU countries. In 2007, the PA Consulting Bed Capacity Report recorded private hospital capacity as 1,926; recent unpublished reports would indicate that private capacity would add approximately 2,100 beds. Inclusion of private capacity would give a figure of approximately 3.1 hospital beds per 1,000 population.

It is important to note that our population is younger than those of European nations with high hospital bed numbers, although numbers of over 65s are increasing at the rate of almost 20,000 per year. This population cohort uses 53% of acute hospital capacity.

The Programme for a Partnership Government commits to a national bed capacity review, which will be undertaken this year. In addition to acute bed capacity, this review will examine bed capacity in the primary and community care sectors, as the availability of non-acute beds and services can mitigate the need for hospital admission, or facilitate earlier discharge. The review will also consider how reforms to the model of care will impact on future capacity requirements, in terms of how our health services are delivered.

With regard to the number of doctors in Ireland per 1,000 population, the November 2016 OECD report is based on data from 2014.

There are currently 2914 GPs contracted to the HSE in Ireland. In terms of staffing in public hospitals, consultant numbers have increased from 2,474 in 2011 to 2,861 Whole Time Equivalents in December 2016, while the number of NCHDs increased from 4,937 to 6,060 from 2011 to 31 December, 2016. These increases are in line with Government policy to move to a consultant-delivered service and also to meet service demands and ongoing efforts to achieve full compliance with the requirements of the European Working Time Directive.

In order to continue to address medical staffing levels in our hospitals, recruitment of additional consultants and non-consultant hospital doctors is ongoing. By the end of November 2016, an additional 118 consultants and 267 hospital doctors were employed in our health services, in comparison with November 2015.