Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 22 Jul 1969

Vol. 241 No. 7

Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Geriatric Accommodation.

7.

Mr. Ryan

asked the Minister for Health the number and location of hospital and institutional beds for geriatric patients; and what provision will be made over the next ten years to meet the accommodation requirements of the anticipated greatly increased geriatric population.

Mr. Childers

As the reply is in the form of a written statement I propose, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to circulate it with the Official Report.

Following is the statement:—

It is assumed that the Deputy has in mind accommodation for the elderly other than those who are acutely ill, suffering from mental illness, mentally handicapped or otherwise in need of care in a specialised institution.

The lines of development now being pursued in regard to accommodation for the aged is that, where feasible, there should be three distinct types of accommodation, viz., geriatric assessment units, long-stay hospital units and welfare homes. The assessment units being intended for investigation and, where necessary short-term care, require the facilities of a general hospital and must, therefore, be located at or near general hospitals. Elderly patients requiring prolonged hospital care should be accommodated in long-stay units which should, if possible, be associated with a general hospital. Welfare homes are intended to cater for elderly patients who do not need care in a hospital setting but for whom institutional care is required, usually for social rather than medical reasons.

The extent of the building programme that might otherwise be necessary to meet the needs of the aged can be significantly reduced through emphasis on sheltered housing in appropriate centres and the continued development of community social services, including day centres. Requirements in the way of new accommodation must also be affected to a considerable extent through hospital buildings or sections of them becoming available as new acute hospital accommodation is provided in the implementation of plans for a reorganised general hospital system.

Some further time must necessarily elapse before it will be possible to arrive at any firm conclusions as to the extent of the building programme that must be undertaken. In the meantime priority is being given to the replacement of county home buildings which are outmoded and which are not part of hospital complexes which provide facilities for other classes of patients, as, for example, James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Dublin, and Western Regional Sanatorium, Merlin Park, Galway. Special emphasis is being placed at this stage on locating the new accommodation in more appropriate centres, e.g. long-stay units are being planned in certain instances as annexes to existing general hospitals where staff and facilities are available, and small welfare homes are being planned in centres other than where such county homes are located. The extent of the programme may be judged from the number of persons accommodated in these county homes, i.e. about 8,000, and the estimated financial outlay likely to be involved— in the region of £16 million. Considerable progress has already been made in carrying through this programme. By the end of the present year it is estimated that about 2,400 places will have been made available while schemes in progress will make a further 400 places available. Commitments in respect of schemes completed or in progress are in the region of £4.2 million. It is also expected that eight further schemes involving about 600 places and a gross expenditure in the region of about £1.5 million will be put to tender over the next few months.

Apart from the county homes programme financial assistance is being provided from central and local funds to voluntary agencies which are providing welfare home accommodation in certain instances for persons referred by health authorities. It is expected that there will be increased activity in this sector over the coming years.

The following is a list showing the location of and the latest information available regarding the number of beds and places in health authority institutions and voluntary institutions which cater for the aged and which receive support from health funds.

Health Authority Institutions and Voluntary Institutions Catering Largely for Health Authority Patients

County Homes	Number of Places
Sacred Heart Home, Carlow	161
St. Felim's County Home and Hospital, Cavan	255
St. Joseph's Hospital, Ennis, County Clare	404
Heatherside Hospital, Buttevant, County Cork	177
Mount Carmel Home, Clonakilty, County Cork	198
Our Lady of Lourdes Home, Midleton, County Cork	173
St. Joseph's Home, Stranorlar, County Donegal	215
Brú Bríde, Crooksling, Dublin	196
Brú Caoimhín, Cork Street, Dublin	243
St. Clare's Home, Ballymun, Dublin	95
St. Brendan's Home, Loughrea, County Galway	360
St. Columbanus' Home, Killarney, County Kerry	337
St. Joseph's Hospital, Listowel, County Kerry	26
St. Vincent's Hospital, Athy, County Kildare	292
St. Columba's Hospital, Thomastown, County Kilkenny	267
St. Vincent's Hospital, Mountmellick, County Laois	182
St. Patrick's Home, Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim	137
St. Ita's Home, Newcastlewest, County Limerick	337
St. Joseph's Hospital, Longford	178
St. Joseph's Hospital, Ardee, County Louth	53
St. Mary's Hospital, Drogheda, County Louth	80
Sacred Heart Home, Castlebar, County Mayo	260
St. Joseph's Home, Trim, County Meath	225
St. Mary's Hospital, Castleblayney, County Monaghan	169
St. Vincent's Hospital, Tullamore, County Offaly	160
Sacred Heart Home, Roscommon	284
St. John's Hospital, Sligo	347
Hospital of the Assumption, Thurles, County Tipperary	333
St. Patrick's Hospital, Cashel, County Tipperary	328
St. John's Hospital, Dungarvan, County Waterford	205
St. Patrick's Hospital, Waterford	140
St. Mary's Hospital, Mullingar, County Westmeath	227
St. John's Hospital, Enniscorthy, County Wexford	292
St. Colman's Hospital, Rathdrum, County Wicklow	193
Health Authority Hospitals with County Home Sections
St. Finbarr's Hospital, Cork	463
St. Patrick's Hospital, Fermoy, County Cork	101
St. Kevin's Hospital, Dublin	483
St. Mary's Hospital, Phoenix Park, Dublin	360
James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown, Co. Dublin	90
Western Regional Sanatorium, Merlin Park, Galway	162
Edenburn Sanatorium, Tralee, Co. Kerry	30
St. Camillus's Hospital, Limerick	441
Blessed Oliver Plunkett Hospital, Dundalk, County Louth	176
Grianáin Gharmain, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford	63
TOTAL	9,898
Voluntary Institutions
Nazareth Home, Mallow, Co. Cork	246
St. Joseph's, Mount Desert, Cork	67
St. Luke's Home, Military Hill, Cork	83
St. Patrick's Hospital, Wellington Road, Cork	79
Shanakiel Hospital, Sunday's Well, Cork	69
Beaumont Convalescent Home, Drumcondra, Dublin	56
Linden Convalescent Home, Blackrock, Co. Dublin	40
Our Lady's Hospice, Harold's Cross, Dublin	153
Regina Coeli Hostel, North Brunswick Street, Dublin	112
Royal Hospital, Donnybrook, Dublin	142
Nazareth House, Sligo	140
TOTAL	1,187

A considerable number of aged patients occupy beds in district hospitals for long periods and could be classified as long-stay patients. The number varies from time to time but it is generally in the region of 900.

There is also a number of other institutions which cater for the aged. According to available information these would total about 100 and provide accommodation for about 2,400 persons.

The services required to cater for the needs of the aged are many and varied. These have been reviewed in great detail by an inter-Departmental committee on the care of the aged which has recently completed its work. Accommodation requirements and the various factors which influence such needs are dealt with in this report. The report will be published as soon as practicable.