INO: Number of beds lost equal to three big hospitals

THE number of hospital beds lost due to closures and delayed discharges is the equivalent of three large hospitals, according to figures from the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) and the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Yesterday, the INO published the results of a survey which showed 705 beds closed in hospitals across the country. The highest number of closures, 56, is at Monaghan General, but a HSE spokesperson said this was due to the transfer of acute services to Cavan General as part of the reconfiguration of hospitals in the North-East. She said the 56 beds in question “were no longer required”.

In addition to the closures, the HSE’s own figures show delayed discharges are effectively blocking 900 beds, bringing the total number of beds unavailable to new admissions to over 1,600.