Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 November 2023
5. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health his plans to carry out an audit of the provision of long-term residential care for older persons in Galway city and county provided by HSE West, to include an assessment of the number of beds vacant in each facility, the number of people on waiting lists in each facility and the average wait times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48549/23]
View answerAs we are talking about Ukraine, I cannot but comment on Gaza, where operations are being carried out without anaesthetic. We might balance the conversation and look at our policy. My specific question concerns plans for an audit of the long-term residential care for older persons in Galway city and county. I ask this because I am keeping a close eye on the imbalance between public and private beds.
On foot of a conversation we had in the House last year about an audit, I requested one. In 2022, the HSE carried out an audit on publicly-funded bed capacity across all nine community healthcare organisations, CHOs. We have 128 HSE public residential care centres for older people, many of which are classed as community hospitals. Subsequently, the HSE completed an in-depth bed reconciliation exercise that validated its publicly-managed residential bed stock. The purpose of this exercise was to reconcile variances derived from the audit and agree particular bed data going forward, with a view to providing accurate information that would identify challenges and support future planning. I agree with the Deputy; this was important post Covid to see exactly how many beds we have. A community bed management system is being developed for the provision of real-time bed data. This will be progressed for roll-out across the HSE in the coming months. In the meantime, the HSE compiles a monthly bed register report of public residential care centres for older persons. As of 31 August, the bed register recorded a total of 256 designated nursing home support scheme beds in Galway, inclusive of all open and temporarily-closed beds. Some 238 of these beds were open, of which 206 were occupied. Data on waiting lists are not collected nationally. This information is held at a local level and is affected by ongoing industrial action. It is extremely frustrating for me, as a Minister of State, that this information is available but is not being passed on at the moment.
To give the Deputy the breakdown, Áras Mhic Dara community nursing unit has 32 beds, Áras Mhuire community nursing unit has 19, Áras Ronáin community nursing unit, with which I am not familiar, has ten, St. Anne's community nursing unit has 21, St Brendan's community nursing unit has 87, Merlin Park community nursing unit 5 and 6 has 25 and Ballinasloe community nursing unit has 44. That comes to 238, of which 206 are currently occupied under the nursing home support scheme, fair deal.
I thank the Minister of State for following up on the audit. I have the advantage of having the answer before me but the specific figures for the homes are not in the answer. Will the Minister give us those figures? Concerning the audit carried out in 2022 following the Minister of State's intervention, is a copy available? Is it public? I am in Galway city; I am a firm believer in the public health system and beds but I watch with despair at how five beds officially remain empty in the heart of the Gaeltacht in Áras Mhic Dara. The one the Minister of State did not know is Áras Ronáin on the Aran Islands. Then there is Merlin Park. I took the trouble of checking the HIQA report for Merlin Park community nursing unit 5 and 6 - it was a glowing report, compliant on every level. By comparison - it touches on the Minister of State's area - the Aperee Living home closed. It owns eight or nine homes throughout the country, one of which is in County Galway. I looked at the HIQA report for that; it is absolutely damning. My concern is what happens when the health board takes over. What is the risk? What is the cost?
I, as a Minister of State, have been on the record, working with the Minister for Health, saying that I do not want to see any more public capacity close at any level. Upcoming projects in Galway include a new 60-bed unit in Merlin Park, an increase in capacity on the 25 already there, and a 40-bed unit in St. Anne's in Clifden. It was announced previously but progress is being made. The Deputy will know that recently the Helen and Joe O'Toole community nursing unit in Tuam was opened with 50 beds. It is a fantastic facility and residents will be moving into it shortly. We must also note that there were 12 short-stay beds at Clifden District Hospital. Even though older people need long-stay beds under the fair deal, step-down, transitional and respite beds are also important. I will come back to the Deputy's question about Aperee in my next response.
A subject like this is very difficult to deal with in a minute. If we look at the new one that will be built in Clifden, it was supposed to be 50 beds but has gone back to 40, inexplicably, when there is great demand. Look at the inexplicable vacancies in Áras Mhic Dara in Carraroe. I am trying to find out the waiting lists for Carraroe and Merlin Park. I do not expect the Minister of State to have this information at her fingertips but I expect to be able to get it at my fingertips quickly from the source. Going back to Aperee, I am extremely concerned that we have promoted a private system. More than 81% of nursing homes are owned privately, most for profit. Here we are with Aperee and the HIQA report for the home in Galway. One has to look at it. It was non-compliant with fire regulations, staffing and other matters. The energy of the Health Service Executive is going into taking back private nursing homes that have failed on governance and other issues. We are not going ahead to roll out a public system; it is down at 13%.
On Mulranny, which is outside my area, I know the man there. The nursing home wrote to the Minister in October. It is a not-for-profit nursing home. It is struggling and it is a most wonderful example of a nursing home and care.
I have been deeply distressed and worried and have intervened and worked with HIQA, the Department and the HSE on Aperee nursing homes. Some 15 companies own 10,700 beds in the private sector. That is the reality of the situation with which we are dealing. On 6 September, I think, HIQA published 50 reports; 17 were compliant and 33 had non-compliance. I read each and every one. Six Aperee Living homes were listed. There were very deep concerns. HIQA have mine and the Minister's full support to go into these homes and make the necessary changes. It tries to work with every nursing home to put in place a compliance plan; that did not happen. One of the Aperee Living homes in Kinsale has closed, as has one in my area, only 20 minutes down the road from me - Aperee Living Ballygunner. Last Friday week, the HSE took over Aperee Living in Callan. HIQA is keeping a special eye and focus on Aperee Living homes at the moment.
