Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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773. To ask the Minister for Health if an application for funding submitted by management at Letterkenny University Hospital to reopen the hospital's short stay ward will be approved; if so, when the facility will commence operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36058/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In the light of the Health Service Capacity Review which recommends that the system will need nearly 2,600 additional acute hospital beds by 2031, I have asked my Department to work with the HSE to identify the location and mix of beds which could be frontloaded in 2018 and into 2019 and 2020 to alleviate overcrowding in our hospital Emergency Departments.

My Department has received proposals from the HSE, which identify in the region of 600 additional acute beds and 270 additional residential care beds to be phased in between 2018 and 2020. These proposals are being considered by my Department.