Batt O'Keeffe
Question:139 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health the number of children taken into emergency care who are being placed in hospitals in view of a shortage of health board places. [3073/97]
Written Answers. - Children in Emergency Care.
I understand, from recent inquiries to each of the health boards, that two boards, the Eastern and South Eastern, placed children taken into emergency care in hospital in the month of January last.
Nine children were placed in hospital in the Eastern Health Board region. The reasons for placement varied. Seven of the children were under 12 years of age. Four of the children, including the two children over 12 years of age, had complex medical histories requiring medical attention initially and four children from one family were placed in hospital by gardaí following the arrest of their mother. One of the children remains in hospital awaiting a suitable foster care placement. The child in question is less than 12 months old and required medical attention initially.
The South Eastern Health Board placed two children aged eight and four in hospital for one night as an interim measure pending their placement in suitable accommodation.
I should point out that when small children are placed in the care of a health board it is sometimes appropriate to refer them to hospital for assessment and/or treatment. When this assessment is completed, it is not always possible to find an immediate suitable placement for the children.
I do not favour the use of hospital accommodation in inappropriate circumstances and the Eastern Health Board is taking all possible steps to provide suitable alternative accommodation in such cases. In particular, the board plan to provide a residential unit for children under 12 years of age who need emergency placement out of hours. The board is also recruiting additional foster parents exclusively for use by the out of hours service in an emergency at night and priority for these placements will be given to children under 12 years of age.