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The Minister for Health, Simon Harris, TD, today (Tuesday) said that investment and reform must go hand in hand if we are to break the cycle of hospital overcrowding.
The Minister was speaking as he published the report of the Health Service Capacity Review, which outlines projections of demand and capacity requirements for a range of health services to 2031.
The key findings of the report are as follows:

• The system is operating at or above capacity across most services, and demand will grow significantly over the period to 2031.
• If key reforms and productivity measures are implemented, the following additional capacity will be required by 2031:

• nearly 2,600 extra acute hospital beds
• 48% increase in Primary Care workforce
• 13,000 extra residential care beds (older persons services) and;
• 120% increase in homecare 

The Minister welcomed the publication of the report, stating that

“Increasing capacity in the health service is vital but this must be done based on evidence. That is why commissioning this Bed Capacity Review was a priority for me. It looks at capacity needs of the health service not just now, but up to 2031. This kind of analysis is integral to future planning. The completion of this review is timely as we enter a new period of investment in our public services and it clearly outlines the need for investment and reform in the Irish healthcare system and provides quantitative evidence for this.”

In relation to future demand for health services, the Minister said,

“We know we have entered a relatively new phase of demographic ageing in Ireland. Our population also continues to grow. These changes will have particular impacts on the demand for health services, as older age cohorts tend to be the highest users of most health services. The findings of this review are broadly consistent with a separate analysis of future demand for healthcare undertaken by the ESRI last year and give us a clear indication of the extent of demand increases to expect.”

The Minister concluded,

“This report, which was internationally peer reviewed, provides us with a very important evidence base, which will inform future investment and policy decisions. It is clear that investment and reform must now happen in tandem and must be mutually supportive of each other. That is why as Minister for Health I am committed to delivering both. The findings of this review are being considered in the context of the upcoming National Development Plan, while the implementation plan for Sláintecare, which will be considered by Government shortly, will set out a clear roadmap for reforming our health service.”