Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 May 2004
160 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans to provide extra hospice beds throughout north Kildare in line with the requests of general practitioners in the area and to assist people who are terminally ill. [16073/04]
View answerThe publication of the report of the national advisory committee on palliative care was approved by Government and launched on 4 October 2001. The report describes a comprehensive palliative care service and acts as a blueprint for its development over a five to seven year period. My Department provided funding to all of the health boards on a pro rata basis to commence the development of the services in line with the report’s recommendations.
Consultative and development committees were set up as recommended in the report. It was also recommended that palliative care needs assessment studies should be carried out in each health board area. Information gleaned from them and through the consultative and development committees will inform the future development of palliative care services at health board level. The ERHA has already completed a needs assessment study. The provision of extra hospice beds in the authority's area, including north Kildare, will be examined in the context of the study.
