Vol. 566 No. 1
139 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the contention of persons (details supplied) that the lack of extended care facilities for older people in Dublin has now reached crisis point; the steps it is intended to take to address this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11987/03]
The national health strategy signalled the need for 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, to include provision for people with dementia.
As the Deputy may be aware, public-private partnerships, PPPs, 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 or 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.
The current position in relation to the PPP projects is that business advisers have been recruited by the ERHA and the Southern Health Board and they are in the process of preparing outline business plans.
