Hospital co-location plan may fail to deliver extra 1,000 beds

AN EXTRA 1,000 hospital beds promised by the Government may not be delivered because of “complications” with the co-location plan.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen admitted that the scheme, one of the main planks of the Government’s hospital reform strategy, is progressing at a slower rate than expected.

Just four of the originally proposed ten private hospitals are now expected to be built on public hospital grounds because the new Programme for Government limits the co-location policy to “projects under existing contractual agreements”.

However, the Government is unable to say how many of the 1,000 promised beds will be effected by the scale-back on co-location.

Doubt was cast on the plan as far back as 2007 when Health Minister Mary Harney was forced to deny claims from within the HSE that staffing the hospitals would be a problem and create too great a burden on training institutions.

While four hospitals had been given priority, Ms Harney insisted co-location would go ahead at eight sites and the “goals of the policy will be achieved”.

Yesterday, Mr Cowen, told the Dáil: “There have been complications with regard to the co-location initiative coming on stream because of the problem in the banking system. There is also the question of ensuring that we proceed with those for which planning permission has been granted and on the basis of finance being provided.”

He was responding to Labour’s Eamon Gilmore, who said not a single bed has been provided under the plan to date, despite it being one of the main issues in the last general election.

“There was a debate about the number of beds required. The country was full of posters giving the respective figures,” he said. “The HSE was reluctant to go down this road, but the Minister for Health and Children instructed the HSE that this was the Government’s route.”

“That was more than four years ago. We still have not provided a bed and there is no sign of these hospitals being built,” Mr Gilmore said.

Fine Gael spokesperson on Health James Reilly said the co-located hospitals already granted planning permission will create 554 beds, but that neither Fianna Fáil nor the Green Party themselves know this figure.

“It is yet more evidence that the revised Programme for Government was an exercise in political survival and optics, not detailed negotiation,” said Dr Reilly.

“How many beds have been delivered by Mary Harney’s fast and efficient co-location big idea? Zero. How many beds will be delivered by co-location? Quite possibly none,” he added.