Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 April 2004
28 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress on dealing with the problem of a shortage of long stay beds which is having a severe impact on hospital services across the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10870/04]
Amharc ar fhreagra150 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will consider increasing the number of subvented or dedicated long stay beds with a view to alleviating acute bed pressure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11070/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 150 together.
There is a commitment in the national health strategy to provide 1,370 additional assessment and rehabilitation beds, plus 600 additional day hospital beds with facilities encompassing specialist areas such as falls, osteoporosis treatment, fracture prevention, Parkinson's disease, stroke prevention, heart failure and continence promotion clinics. In addition, the strategy proposed the provision of an extra 5,600 extended care and community nursing unit places over a seven year period which will include provision for people with dementia. Provision of these facilities was contingent on the provision of the necessary resources.
Public private partnerships are being piloted in the health sector. These are based on the concept that better value for money for the Exchequer may be achieved through the exploitation of private sector competencies to capture innovation and the allocation of risk to the party best able to manage it. Initially, the focus will be mainly on community nursing units for older people. It is anticipated that 17 new units will be created when the initial pilot programmes are complete, providing up to a maximum of 850 new beds in Dublin and Cork. The services offered in these units will include: assessment and rehabilitation; respite; extended care; convalescence and, if the PPP pilot demonstrates success, it is intended to use it as a means of providing additional community nursing units in other locations throughout the country.
Under the acute bed capacity initiative, I have provided additional funding of €8.8 million to the ERHA and €3.8 million to the Southern Health Board to facilitate the discharge of patients from the acute system to a more appropriate setting thereby freeing up acute beds. It allows for funding through the subvention system of additional beds in the private nursing home sector and ongoing support in the community. Already this funding has resulted in the discharge of over 240 patients from acute hospitals in the eastern region to various locations, most to private nursing homes. In the Cork area, the initiative has resulted in the discharge of 112 patients from acute hospitals to more appropriate settings. The ERHA and the Southern Health Board are monitoring the situation and working with hospitals, the area health boards and the private nursing home sector to ensure that every effort is made to minimise the number of delayed discharges in acute hospitals.
