Vol. 560 No. 3
318 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans to address the shortage of rehabilitation, step-down, nursing home and long-term care beds, which is leading to overcrowding in accident and emergency departments as outlined in a recent report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2483/03]
As the Deputy may be aware there is a commitment in the national health strategy to provide 1,370 additional assessment and rehabilitation beds, plus 600 additional day hospital beds with facilities encompassing specialist areas such as falls, osteoporosis treatment, fracture prevention, Parkinson's disease, stroke prevention, heart failure and continence promotion clinics. In addition, the strategy proposed the provision of an extra 800 extended care-community nursing unit places per year over a seven year period which will include provision for people with dementia.
As the Deputy may also be aware, public private partnerships – PPP – are currently being piloted in the health sector. PPPs are based on the concept that better value for money for the Exchequer may be achieved through the exploitation of private sector competencies to capture innovation and the allocation of risk to the party best able to manage it. Initially, the focus will be mainly in the area of community nursing units, CNUs, for older people. It is anticipated that 17 new CNUs will be created when the initial pilot programmes are complete, providing up to a maximum of 850 new beds in Dublin and Cork. The services offered in these units will include: assessment-rehabilitation; respite; extended care; and convalescence.
If the PPP pilot demonstrates success it is the intention to use it as a means of providing additional community nursing units in other locations throughout the country.
