Vol. 566 No. 1
82 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of additional extended care and community nursing unit places which have been provided for in the 2003 budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11909/03]
I am advised by the health boards-authority that the information requested by the Deputy is as follows: ERHA – The authority has advised that Leopardstown Park Hospital which is a new 50-bed unit opened in December 2002 and is now fully operational. The community units in Maynooth and Lusk which opened in 2002 each have provision for 50 beds of which 35 and 45, respectively, are on-stream. The ERHA is currently exploring with my Department and business advisers the feasibility of developing nine new 50 bed units on a public private partnership basis; MHB – The board has advised that no additional extended care or community nursing unit beds have come on-stream this year to date. The new community nursing unit in Birr which has 90 beds will, when commissioned, provide a net increase of 20 beds. The board is hoping to shortly proceed to equip the new unit and will be considering the options available to it to open the beds this year; MWHB – The board has advised that no additional extended care or community nursing unit places are planned or due to come on-stream in 2003. A 12-bed dementia unit is due to open in St. Joseph's Hospital, Ennis in June 2003. However, these are not additional beds but a re-designation of existing beds. Also, an additional four palliative care support beds will be opened in 2003, but these are re-designated rather than additional beds; NEHB – The board has advised that there are no additional extended care or community nursing unit places planned or due to come on-stream in 2003; NWHB – No additional extended care or community nursing places have been provided in 2003 and there are no places due to come on-stream; SEHB – The board has advised that four additional long stay beds have been provided at Castlecomer District Hospital. Within Phase 1 of the Cashel-Clonmel agreement, a 20 bed EMI unit is due to be completed in 2003; SHB – The board has advised that to date in 2003, no additional extended care beds have been provided. The public-private partnership project to provide eight additional community nursing units, a total of 400 beds, is currently in development. A 30-bed extension to St Luke's Home in Mahon is expected to be completed by the end of 2003. As part of the NDP programme 2001-2006, a new community hospital in Dingle, a new community nursing unit in Tralee and extensions to various community hospitals throughout Cork and Kerry are at various stages of planning. No further progress is expected until the NDP review is completed; and WHB – the board has advised that no additional extended care and community nursing unit places have been planned for 2003.
