Vol. 554 No. 5
966 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the public-private partnership for the community hospital-nursing unit for Ballinrobe, County Mayo; if the site purchase has been finalised; if this has been included in the Western Health Board proposals; and if it has been made a priority by the health board in its submission to his Department. [15748/02]
In July of this year, I announced my Department's plans to pilot a public private partnership initiative in the health sector which will initially focus mainly on the provision of community nursing units for older people. The public private partnership, PPP will be piloted in the Eastern Regional Health Authority and in the Southern Health Board, since these are the two areas in which the need for additional long-stay beds is most acute.
