Clune: Fill the empty beds

HEALTH Minister Mary Harney has been urged to ensure hospital beds are more frequently occupied, after it emerged up to 20,000 bed days could be lost in Cork hospitals this year.

Fine Gael TD Deirdre Clune said the latest information from the Health Service Executive showed CUH, Mercy University Hospital, South Infirmary/Victoria Hospital, Bantry General Hospital and Mallow General Hospital, are, this year, losing an average of 476 bed days a week.

According to the TD, that’s up from 391.5 bed days a week lost in 2007.

“This represents an increase of 84.5 bed days lost every week in the five Cork hospitals.

“If it continues Cork hospitals will have lost almost 25,000 bed days by the end of the year,” Ms Clune said.

She claimed the solution lies in utilising more community-based services, increased community care and more step-down facilities, where patients who are not in need of acute hospital care can recuperate in nursing homes.

“The failure of the Fianna Fáil Government to provide suitable aftercare services has resulted in an entirely unsatisfactory situation in terms of patient care.

“Beds in acute hospitals could be put to better use and the HSE’s budget better spent if more use was made of HSE facilities which are currently lying idle, such as the abandoned maternity hospitals at St. Finbarr’s and the Erinville,” Ms Clune said.