Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 3 Jun 1993

Vol. 431 No. 8

Written Answers. - Health Services for the Elderly.

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

135 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health his proposals for the improvement of facilities to care for the elderly, with particular reference to the availability of the necessary hospital beds, community care, medical and nursing facilities and adequate home help; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Health (Mr. Howlin):

This Government is committed to ensuring that elderly people receive the highest quality of health care available. The objectives of health policy, towards the elderly are set out in the report —The Years Ahead — A Policy for the Elderly. They are the support and care of dependent elderly people at home for as long as possible and to ensure that when the elderly can no longer be cared for at home, that there are appropriate specialist and extended care facilities to meet their needs. The priorities for service development at present are to strengthen Community Care Services for elderly persons and their carers in the home, to provide more specialist facilities in acute hospitals, to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of elderly mentally infirm, and to implement the Health (Nursing Homes) Act, 1990.

Considerable progress has been made towards implementing the recommendations contained in The Years Ahead. In recent years an additional £9 million was made available to the health boards to expand home nursing and the home help services, to provide more respite places, day care centres and day hospitals, to provide more departments of medicine for the elderly in general hospitals, to strengthen rehabilitation services and to develop services for those with dementia.

The progress achieved in developing health services for the elderly will be maintained by the new Government. Under the Programme for a Partnership Government we will be developing a health service of the highest quality, so that people, particularly the elderly, can be confident that they will be well looked after should they need medical care. Among the priority issues in health for the Government which are of direct benefit to the elderly are the expansion of facilities for hip replacement and cataract surgery as a result of the major action programme on hospital waiting lists and the implementation this year of the Health (Nursing Homes) Act, 1990. The action programme provides for an additional 1,117 hip replacement operations and 1,506 cataract operations. I have already had discussions with nursing home interests and I have indicated my intention to proceed with the implementation of the Act at the earliest opportunity. A provision of £4 million has been made available this year for the phased implementation of the Act.

A particular problem arose in the Eastern Health Board area earlier this year in relation to elderly people in general hospitals who required long stay care. My Department gave additional financial aid amounting to £0.5 million to the board to provide additional extended care beds for these patients.