Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 30 Jan 2002

Vol. 547 No. 1

Written Answers. - Winter Crisis Initiative.

Bernard Allen

Ceist:

489 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the outcome of his winter crisis initiative published in the winter of 2000; the number of appointments of those recommended in the initiative which were made; the moneys made available for the Initiative; the moneys spent on the initiative. [1197/02]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

I was pleased to provide a 40.63 million investment package in 2000-2001 aimed at alleviating anticipated service pressures and maintaining services to patients in the acute hospital sector, particularly over the winter period. The investment package was targeted at a number of key service areas, including the contracting of private nursing home beds, the provision of a range of aids and supports for use by older people and the recruitment of an additional 29 accident and emergency consultants and 19 consultant anaesthetists to the hospital system.

In relation to the recruitment of additional consultants, I requested of Comhairle na nOspidéal that these posts be filled initially on a temporary basis, given the long lead-in time normally associated with the recruitment of consultants. I have been informed by the Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA, and the health boards that to date 12 accident and emergency consultants and 11 consultant anaesthetists have been appointed.

The investment package also provided for the contracting of additional private nursing home places by the ERHA and the health boards. These places are for patients whose acute phase of treatment has been completed but who require further care in an non-acute setting. The ERHA and the health boards contracted over 700 beds under the initiative and this has helped to free up acute beds for patients awaiting admission to hospital.

As the Deputy is aware, the Southern Health Board has received a significantly increased number of claims from patients for enhanced subvention payments in accordance with Articles 22.3 and 22.4 of the Nursing Home (Subvention) Regulations, 1993. It is a matter for the board to determine the extent to which it can meet such claims consistent with its requirement to live within its overall revenue allocation and taking account of the fact that such enhanced payments are discretionary. This is in keeping with the provisions of the Health (Amendment) (No. 3) Act, 1996.

However, in the interest of avoiding hardship to individual patients, my Department has been in regular contact with the board in an effort to find a solution which would take cognisance of the considerations outlined above. A resolution was found to meet the most immediate individual problems which included the making available of additional funding to the Southern Health Board to help meet the costs of the scheme. Arrangements were also made to allow the board use funding originally earmarked for the winter initiative. This funding was used by the board in advance of the re-commencement of the winter initiative on 1 October 2001. A further sum was made available to the Southern Health Board to meet the cost of the winter initiative from 1 October last and the board's allocation was adjusted accordingly.