Michael Noonan
Ceist:82 Mr. Noonan asked the Minister for Health and Children if a dedicated unit for the elderly at Nenagh Hospital, County Tipperary has been closed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16557/97]
Written Answers - Hospital Services.
I understand from the Mid-Western Health Board that the assessment unit for older people at Nenagh General Hospital was closed on a temporary basis on 4 August 1997.
The decision to implement the seasonal closure of the unit had been taken by the Mid-Western Health Board as a cost containment measure in the context of an overspend on allocation by the hospital.
When this decision was made by the Mid-Western Health Board, the board indicated that demands for beds would be monitored on a daily basis and as a result of this, the unit was reopened on 6 October 1997, when patient numbers started to rise in line with the usual demand for beds heading into the winter.