Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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676. To ask the Minister for Health if he will address a series of matters relating to the agreement with private hospitals (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9239/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Government published its Action Plan in Response to Covid-19, on March 16 2020. In anticipation of the projected surge in Covid-19 cases and the expected impact on the health care system, a major part of the Action Plan was to urgently ramp up capacity for acute hospital care facilities. A critical element of the strategy was to put in place an arrangement with the private hospitals to use their facilities as part of the public system, to provide essential additional acute hospital services for the duration of the emergency.

The terms of the arrangement reflected the expected Covid-19 pandemic at time of signing. It is in place for three months up to the end of June. The arrangement with the private hospitals was reviewed at the end of May, and the Government decided that the existing arrangement should not be extended beyond the end of June. It has however mandated the HSE to negotiate a new arrangement with private hospitals which would provide the HSE with full access to private hospital capacity in the event of a surge of Covid-19 and separately with ongoing agreed access, to enable the HSE to meet essential and elective care needs.

Department officials engaged with the insurers at the outset of the private hospitals agreement. In order to assist health insurance customers impacted by the Covid-19 national response, each of the insurers have announced a range of supportive measures for their customers. 

In relation to the use of private hospital capacity, as of May 28 2020,8,472 patients had been discharged from private hospitals having undergone an inpatient procedure since the arrangement between the HSE and private hospitals came into force. In the same period 30,041 daycase procedures took place in private hospitals, as well as 42,305 diagnostic appointments and 25,095 outpatient appointments.

Guidance on patient pathways to mitigate the risks associated with the delivery of non-covid care, for patients and healthcare workers, and support safe delivery of care has been developed under the auspices of the Expert Advisory Subgroup of NPHET (EAG) and approved in principle by NPHET. It is recommended that in-patient occupancy levels are maintained at ≤ 80% to facilitate the requirement to address surge safely. Utilisation rates show a growing increase in the rate of use of inpatient beds in private hospitals. Preliminary figures from the HSE indicate that as of  28 May 2020, 54% of private inpatient beds were in use, up from 43% at the start of May.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic the HSE had to take measures to defer all non-urgent elective scheduled care activity, including outpatient clinics. This was to ensure patient safety and that all appropriate resources were made available for Covid-19 related activity and time-critical essential work. This decision was in line with the advice issued by the World Health Organisation, and the National Action Plan in response to Covid-19. The trajectory of the disease means there is now an opportunity for increasing the provision of non-covid care including more routine care.

My Department, the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund are currently working together to estimate the impact of Covid 19 on Scheduled Care waiting lists, with a view to informing activity going forward. As the system continues to deliver Covid-19 and non-Covid 19 care side-by-side over a more prolonged period, my Department and the HSE will continue to work closely together to protect essential non-Covid 19 acute care and progress the provision of more routine non Covid-19 care.

Where possible, hospitals are working to find innovative ways to enable service provision, which include virtual clinics for some out-patient department appointments. The HSE website provides details on services currently available and operational in each hospital on its website. This information is reviewed frequently and provides up-to-date announcements on services available at each site ().