Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
1481. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of additional community beds delivered in 2021 of the 1,250 promised in budget 2021; the split between public and private; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33534/21]
View answerA key aim of our health services is to support older people to live independently in the community, for as long as possible. This includes minimising referrals and admissions to acute settings or, when admitted, facilitating discharge through a designated pathway in order to maximise the potential for remaining at home and in turn reducing the requirement for long-term residential care.
Priority areas for the HSE are focused on development of this integrated care model and include the commitment to funding an additional 1,250 rehabilitation and short stay / intermediate care beds in 2021, bringing the total capacity of public short stay beds to just under 3,500. The aim is that the balance of public / private provision will be maintained with a view to enhancing direct HSE provision nationally over time.
The expansion is intended to be achieved through the addition of:
- 617 rehabilitation beds in public facilities
- 185 repurposed public Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS) beds
- 448 privately purchased bed capacity for transitional care.
The provision of these beds to date is an operational issue and as such it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
