Vol. 560 No. 1
666 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children the timeframe for providing up to 24 extended care beds for the elderly at a vacant ward in St. Canice's Hospital, Kilkenny; if he will fast-track the proposal and make funds available in 2003 for the upgrading of the building; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1332/03]
The provision of health services in the Kilkenny area is a matter for the South Eastern Health Board in the first instance. The board has advised that a working group was established to examine the possibility of providing an interim solution to the provision of extended care beds for the elderly within Kilkenny city pending the development of phase two of the community hospital project at St. Luke's Hospital.
The group considered the possibility of using vacated ward space at St. Canice's Hospital, Kilkenny. As the Deputy will be aware, a 24 bed unit will become available at the hospital when the elderly patients currently cared for at St. Joseph's Ward relocate to the refurbished psycho-geriatric St. Luke's-St. Gabriel's Ward at the hospital. The 24 bed ward is located on the ground floor adjacent to the refurbished elderly care wards at the hospital and has access to external garden space.
The working group considers that St. Joseph's Ward would be suitable, following adequate upgrading, to be used on an interim basis for the provision of long stay beds for the care of older people from the Kilkenny area. A proposal for the upgrading of this ward has now been submitted to my Department by the board. This proposal will fall to be considered in the context of the funding available to the board under the national development plan and in the light of other priorities for development identified by the board. I would expect that, following consideration of the proposal by my Department, it will be the subject of discussions between officials of the board and my Department at which stage issues such as its priority rating will be clarified.
