Country will need 8,000 more public hospital beds by 2040, report says

A major new report by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has projected a requirement for an additional 5,091 to 7,780 additional in-patient and day-patient beds in acute hospitals. File picture

The state will need up to 8,000 additional hospital beds in public hospitals by 2040 to cope with surging demand from a growing and ageing population.

A major new report by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has projected a requirement for an additional 5,091 to 7,780 additional in-patient and day-patient beds in acute hospitals, against a backdrop of an increase in Emergency Department (ED) attendances of up to 444,000 per year on current figures, and up to an extra 1.3 million out-patient department attendances.