Dublin's Mater Private Hospital accommodated eight patients at a nearby hotel in August but bore the cost of all hotel bills itself, it emerged yesterday.
Meanwhile, health insurers VHI warned hospitals that they would not reimburse patients' hotel bills if asked.
A spokeswoman for the Mater Private Hospital told The Irish Times that accommodating patients in hotels was "a very rare" occurrence. "It has only happened in extreme situations when there is unusually high pressure on beds and where the hospital is determined to accommodate all patients who are scheduled for surgery, and where it is appropriate from the patient care perspective," she said.
The eight patients accommodated locally in August were all due to have elective surgery on the following day and had travelled long distances.
"Rather than have their surgery cancelled [ they] were offered the alternative of staying in the hotel and having their surgery as planned the following day. This only occurred where it was carefully judged to be clinically appropriate."
In all cases, neither the patient nor their health insurer was charged for that night's accommodation, the spokeswoman said.
Yesterday RTÉ's Liveline programme heard from one of the patients who was due for surgery on a Wednesday but when she arrived the previous day, she was told there was no bed available. She was offered the opportunity to stay in Jurys Inn on Parnell Street.
"I was in such pain and I had waited six weeks on this bed, for this surgery, and I just knew I couldn't travel the journey again," she said.
VHI Healthcare said it was not "in any way satisfactory that a member would be given a time and date for a procedure when suitable accommodation is not available for that member. Health insurance benefit is for hospital care and not for hotels. Bills for hotels are not reimbursed by VHI Healthcare," a spokeswoman said.
She encouraged members to review their claims statements and to contact VHI if there was an anomaly in the charges.
On Tuesday it emerged that Dublin's Rotunda hospital had begun an arrangement this week to accommodate a small number of "low-risk" patients at the nearby Jurys Inn. Low-risk patients included patients who may need to have a regular dose from an antibiotic drip but were not ill.
It would also include patients who live far away but may need daily scans for a few days and would be unable to travel back and forth. The hospital stressed that it did not include women who needed 24-hour care.
Local Irish Nursing Organisation (INO) representatives and midwives met with hospital management and the master, Dr Michael Geary, yesterday to raise its concerns about the practice.
Afterwards, INO industrial relations officer Eddie Mathews said the midwives' clinical concerns had been broadly alleviated. They were assured that staffing and facilities would be provided to cater for these patients. Dr Geary also told them that the midwives would not be held accountable for the care of their patients when they were off site. Meanwhile, the hospital said it was aware of concerns about overcrowding in the waiting area and would be starting improvement work on this, and on the emergency room, next month. A spokesman said the work would take some months but it would relieve congestion.
Asked for the Minister for Health Mary Harney's view on accommodating patients in hotels, her spokesman said she would not be commenting as it was a matter for the hospitals in question.
