Madam, - There is currently a debate as to whether the best way to address the A&E crisis is by increasing the number of hospital beds or by increasing hospital efficiency.
For those who feel that increasing efficiency alone will suffice might I ask what they make of the regular reduction in the numbers of patients on trolleys during the summer months? Are Irish hospitals more efficient during the summer? Or is the reduction due to a drop in demand and therefore a greater capacity to respond to emergencies?
And what about the reduction in trolley numbers in the last two weeks of December? Is this due to greater efficiency in hospitals over the Christmas period, or greater capacity (as elective admissions cease during this period and the entire hospital capacity is available for emergencies)?
Also, if countries with more effective health services than ours require more hospital beds (per capita) than we have, then why don't we need them? We certainly require greater efficiency, but perhaps we need greater bed capacity also. - Yours, etc,
CONAL CUNNINGHAM, Consultant Geriatrician, St James's Hospital, Dublin 8.