“One of the most technologically advance private hospital’s in all of Europe” Beacon Hospital in Sandyford, refuses HSE commercial deal to provide emergency Covid-19 capacity, reports Dublin Live.
With over 200 inpatients beds, 1400 healthcare professionals and 300 consultants, Beacon Hospital operates as a full-service acute hospital for South County Dublin.
The “safety net” deal which gives the HSE access to private hospital beds to ease the pressure on public hospital beds due to an increase in COVID-19 admissions has been signed by 17 of the 18 private hospitals in the country. The Beacon is the only hospital that has not signed up to the Safety Net agreement.
HSE CEO Paul Reid has urged the Beacon to reconsider its stance and sign up to the agreement. “We have our public health system facing the biggest crisis probably in history for the state and for our health services,” he told RTE’s Katie Hannon.
Mr Reid also said he is “very grateful for” the Beacon being used as a vaccination centre for healthcare workers at no cost to the HSE.
According to Dublin Live, in a statement, the Beacon responded to Mr Reid, saying it is “already wearing the green jersey” and doing all it can to support the public health system.
“The last HSE Agreement, which Beacon Hospital signed up to, in April to June last year, allowing the HSE take clinical control, led to the hospital being 70% empty for three months.
As Beacon Hospital is at full capacity now, treating both private and public patients, we cannot take the risk of allowing HSE direct clinical governance lead to under-utilisation”.
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