Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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1043. To ask the Minister for Health if the HSE has been in any new discussions regarding possible new surge capacity requirements from the private hospitals network; the present surge plan in HSE run hospitals; if all private consultants will be awarded temporary work approvals from the HSE if private hospital capacity is utilised again; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1604/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Following the termination of the original private hospital agreement in June 2020, the Government mandated the HSE to seek to agree with the private hospitals a new arrangement which would provide the HSE with access to private hospital capacity to include a safety net arrangement for any further surge of Covid-19 cases.

The additional capacity provided by the private hospitals is critical to enabling the public health system cope with large scale surges in the incidences of the disease.  It is intended to use the capacity of the private hospitals for urgent, time-dependant and complex care.

Sixteen private hospitals have indicated they are prepared to sign up to the agreement to provide additional hospital capacity to the HSE, to deal with the surge in Covid-19 cases and any further surges in the pandemic, if they arise within the next 12 months. The HSE have indicated that they expect to conclude these agreements very shortly. Discussions are still underway with one remaining hospital. Under the agreement, the hospitals have agreed to supply, depending on the incidence of the disease, up to 15% or 30% of their capacity.

The agreement also provides for additional capacity over the 30% to be made available by mutual agreement and a number of hospitals have already indicated that they might be willing to offer such capacity if required.  The immediate task is to make effective use of the capacity secured, which will take a number of weeks and any additional requirement will be considered as required.

The agreement builds on the good relationship which already exists between public and private hospitals and engagement on the transfer of patients is taking place. A number of the private hospitals have already begun to make arrangements to take on public patients over the coming days. The agreement also enables a local relationship between private hospitals and public hospitals in each area, which should result in a more streamlined service for both hospitals and patients.

The agreement will see the private hospitals provide a full service within the capacity made available including medical services and they will be reimbursed at the standard commercial rate. It allows for the ongoing treatment of private patients and the operation of the traditional private healthcare market alongside the provisions of this arrangement, insofar as is commensurate with the requirements of the overall national pandemic response.