asked the Minister for Health if he will state whether there are at present in Kerry any district hospitals where the nursing staffs are not accommodated within the building; and, if so, if he will indicate these hospitals and whether, in view of the fact that such an arrangement is not in the interests of the staff and of the patients, he will take steps to have accommodation provided for the staff in all hospital buildings.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Accommodation for Nursing Staffs.
I am informed that some members of the nursing staffs in the following district hospitals in Kerry live outside the institutions concerned: Killarney, Listowel, Caherciveen and Dingle.
I have not received any representations to the effect that the existing arrangements are unsatisfactory from the point of view of the patients. I am aware that some of the nursing staffs may have experienced difficulty in finding accommodation, but I am also aware that in the case of one of the hospitals the residential accommodation for nurses is not being fully availed of.
It is open to the Kerry County Council to submit to me proposals for the provisions of additional accommodation for the nursing staffs.