Jim Higgins
Ceist:138 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Health the recommended staffing levels for health board geriatric hospitals and private nursing homes.
Vol. 442 No. 2
138 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Health the recommended staffing levels for health board geriatric hospitals and private nursing homes.
The management, organisation and provision of services in the health board geriatric hospitals are the responsibility of the health boards in the first instance. This necessarily involves the identification of staffing requirements and deployment of staff having regard to the particular service needs of the geriatric hospitals within the overall context of the budgetary and employment constraints which apply.
Under existing procedures, it is a matter for each health board to identify and submit to my Department on a monthly basis prioritised applications for the filling on a permanent basis of all new and replacement posts. My Department's review of the proposals is undertaken bearing in mind the service and personnel criteria and with particular regard to the availability of financial resources.
139 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Health the staffing levels of nurses, attendants and any other staff which applied to St. John's male ward at the Sacred Heart Home, Castlebar, County Mayo, for day duty and night duty for Sunday, 17 April and Monday, 18 April 1994.
The Western Health Board is responsible for the management of services and deployment of staff in the Sacred Heart Home in Castlebar. I have arranged for the board to write to the Deputy setting out the information requested.