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The Health Services Executive has said that it will resume health services affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in three phases, from now until December.
Cancer services will be fully restored by the end of this year, assuming there is no significant disruption to the plans.
Reduced capacity for cancer screening programs will continue through March through June, with 90% capacity restored through July through September for BreastCheck, CervicalCheck, BowelScreen, and diabetic retinal screening.
Outpatient clinic levels will be fully reset between July and September.
Planned operations will be fully restored to expected levels between October and December.
Details are set out in HSE’s ‘A Safe Return to Health Services’ plan.
He said the potential demand for Covid-19 ICU beds will be less than 50 as of April 5, but in the worst case, that could increase to a need for 100-150 ICU beds.
He said the demand for general acute beds for Covid-19 cases is likely to be 100-270. But in the worst case, that could increase to 700-850 beds.
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Meanwhile, HSE’s chief operating officer has said that cancer services were severely affected by the most recent spike in Covid-19 virus cases and that waiting lists have increased.
Anne O’Connor told RTÉ’s News at One that while time-dependent surgeries continued and those who had already started treatment continued with it, less urgent cancer cases were postponed.
He said HSE’s new plan to expand services between now and December is aimed at allowing cancer patients to be seen in a more timely manner in the coming months.
He said only time will tell the impact of the closures on late diagnosis, but said many cancer services continue to have open rapid access clinics to allow patients to be referred through their GP.
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Ms. O’Connor said the ripple effect of reduced services in other areas, including endoscopy services, could also have an impact on cancer diagnoses.
He said efforts to expand planned elective activity would require the number of Covid-19 cases in hospitals to be lower than it currently is, with 350 people in the hospital and 76 in critical care units today.
The hope is that things remain positive, he said, with operations returning between October and December, but that procedures will continue to be canceled if space and staff are needed to treat more Covid-19 patients.
He said outpatient appointments will resume in July and August and that many of these patients will be seen virtually.
Ms O’Connor said this will allow only those who must attend in person to go to hospitals and that new technologies and new ways of working have been developed that will allow clinical teams to identify and work with patients remotely.
He said it is a welcome development that many outpatients can be cared for at home, in the community and in primary care settings.
Ms O’Connor said absenteeism in health services has improved, with fewer than 900 employees now absent due to Covid-19, but said others require much-needed break during the summer months.
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