Vol. 561 No. 5
240 Ms Lynch asked the Minister for Health and Children the plans his Department has in response to the recent report by a person (details supplied) in which this person outlined the chronic bed shortage of step-down long-stay beds for the elderly in the region. [4968/03]
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.
The Southern Health Board published its strategy, Older People Ageing with Confidence, in October 1999, which is a blue print for development services in the board's area. The board recognises the necessity to provide extra continuing care beds in its functional area.
In response to the requirement for additional public continuing care beds in Cork city, the board is proceeding in partnership with St. Luke's Home, Mahon, and my Department with the planned development of 30 additional beds. Work has commenced on this development and it is hoped these beds will be brought into use during the year.
As the Deputy may also be aware, public private partnerships (PPP) are currently being piloted in the health sector. PPP is 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 eight new CNUs will be developed in the Southern Health Board area when the initial pilot programmes are complete providing up to a maximum of 400 new beds in Cork. The services offered in these units will include assessment and rehabilitation, respite, extended care and convalescence.
It is the intention to use public private partnership as a means of providing additional community nursing units in other locations throughout the country following evaluation of the initial PPP pilot programmes.
Additional continuing care beds will be provided at St. Luke's in the short-term. My Department is in ongoing discussions with the board in relation to the development of services for older people in the Cork city area.
