It is acknowledged that a major factor affecting the ability of acute hospitals to provide beds for patients is the number of beds which are inappropriately occupied by patients who have completed the acute phase of their treatment. Many of these patients are older people who require a further level of care in a more appropriate setting. In addition, some of these patients will have been admitted to acute hospitals as a result of the lack of alternative residential and community services.
The contracting of additional places in private nursing homes was identified as an appropriate measure to help reduce the effect of inappropriately placed patients on the acute hospital system. I am pleased to report that over 700 places were contracted in private nursing homes under the winter initiative to address this requirement. In addition, funding was allocated to health agencies to facilitate improved efficiency in the discharge planning function. This was designed to eliminate any avoidable delays in the patient assessment process prior to discharge and transfer to an alternative setting, including nursing homes.
Articles 4.1 and 4.3 of the Nursing Home (Subvention) Regulations, 1993, provide that a person must apply for a subvention prior to entering a nursing home and that a person who enters a nursing home prior to making an application cannot apply sooner than two years from the date of admission. Nonetheless, it also provides that this provision may be waived at the discretion of the board's chief executive officer. Furthermore, Article 4.4 provides that a person may also apply for a subvention, following emergency admission to a private nursing home. These provisions can facilitate the discharge of patients from acute hospitals into a more appropriate care setting while allowing their applications to be completed and considered.
