Vol. 525 No. 2
103 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of new nursing home beds to be created from the 500 announced in his winter months initiative, as opposed to booking existing beds in nursing homes; the number of the 25 accident and emergency consultants who will be appointed in time for the winter months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24516/00]
I was pleased to announce the provision of additional nursing home places as part of the £25 million winter initiative package to alleviate anticipated service pressures on the acute hospital sector. Under the initiative, additional places will be contracted from private nursing homes by health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that these places will be additional to the number of private nursing home places currently subvented or contracted by health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority. I am satis fied that this part of the initiative will have a significant impact on the problem of inappropriate use of acute hospital beds with the immediate provision of additional bed capacity in a more appropriate setting.
I am also giving approval as part of the initiative to the recruitment of an additional 25 accident and emergency consultants. Details of this element of the initiative are being finalised in discussions with various parties and it is my intention that the recruitment process will get under way as soon as possible. The appointment of 25 additional consultants to the accident and emergency service represents the most significant single investment in this key hospital sector for many years. I am confident that the appointment of the additional consultants will ensure early clinical intervention at a senior level, reduce waiting times and thus improve patient access.
The Minister will accept that this is a very disappointing reply. Is he aware that, according to his reply, he is not providing additional beds, but taking the existing pool of nursing home beds which are already in short supply and using them as step-down facilities to a greater degree than in the past? If he contacts a few private nursing homes, as I have done, he will find that nursing home owners are extremely concerned at the lack of spare capacity. Is he aware that elderly persons will be unable to access beds in nursing homes which will be used as step-down facilities?
Given the warnings from the major hospitals about a winter bed crisis because of extra accident and emergency admissions, does the Minister agree that it is unsatisfactory to reply that he is unable to indicate when the consultant appointments which he said would be made to deal with the winter crisis will be made? Surely it would be better to be clear and truthful about the reality, that the appointments will be made too late to deal with the winter crisis. When will the posts be filled? Will they be filled this month or next year? The Minister has had time to set out a timetable. The announcement is now weeks old.
The Minister said the appointments will be made as soon as possible. This will not deal with the winter bed crisis already indicated by the major hospitals and causing elective operations to be cancelled. Patients in desperate pain cannot access the treatment they need.
There are two aspects to the question, the first of which is the contracting of additional nursing home beds. Last year significant difficulties were encountered in the winter period in discharging high dependency patients from acute hospital services. In that context we need immediate alleviating action over the winter period. Some time ago we approached the health boards with a view to them sourcing additional spare capacity and new capacity in terms of contracting additional beds. The alternative is to do nothing and to allow mayhem in the acute hospital services over the winter period.
Last year a total of 160 beds were contracted. This year we are contracting a minimum of 500 beds throughout the country. That is the proper response to ensuring we have some degree of additional capacity over the winter period for placing people with high dependency and to try to alleviate and give greater throughput to the acute hospital services.
I take issue with the carping criticism of our announcement which will in essence double the number of A&E consultants in the country. There are 19 to date. We have secured not only the additional costs for the remainder of the year but full year costs for an additional 25 A&E consultants. We are working with Comhairle na n-Óspidéal and other bodies to ensure these posts can be put in place, if necessary on a temporary basis in the short-term while permanent sanction is awaited.
People should acknowledge that this is a far more significant announcement in terms of A&E than previously. It will ensure the provision of senior clinicians and senior decision makers in the A&E departments throughout the country. All analyses from time immemorial have pointed to that problem. Certain issues need to be worked out and we are addressing them.
Does the Minister accept there would not be a problem if he was up front and did not pretend these very welcome posts will be in place in time to deal with the winter crisis? There are 27 beds vacant in St. Michael's Private Hospital.
We must proceed to the next question.
That issue could be addressed by a very small allocation of funds.
That is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority.
It requires funding of only £15 million from the Minister's Department.
It is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority.
