Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 June 2005
97 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of the 1,370 additional assessment and rehabilitation beds which have been delivered, as promised in the national health strategy 2001; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20879/05]
Amharc ar fhreagra100 Mr. Deasy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of the 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, as promised in the national health strategy 2001,which have been delivered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20878/05]
Amharc ar fhreagra153 Mr. Deasy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of commitments laid out in the national health strategy in relation to services for the elderly that have been achieved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20877/05]
Amharc ar fhreagra162 Mr. Bruton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of the 700 day care places for the elderly which have been delivered, as promised in the national health strategy 2001; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20880/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 97, 100, 153 and 162 together.
The National Health Strategy, Quality and Fairness: A Health System for You was launched in 2001 by the former Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin. The strategy is centred on a whole system approach to tackling health in Ireland and it goes beyond the traditional concept of health services. It is about developing a system in which best health and social well-being are valued and supported. The strategy sets out a blueprint to guide policy makers and service providers in the planning and delivery of health services over a seven to ten year period. It set national goals for better health for everyone, fair access, responsive and appropriate care delivery and high performance.
There have been many reforms to our health services since the publication of the strategy, the most notable being the enactment of the Health Act 2004 which transferred responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services to the Health Service Executive.
The strategy outlined a number of action points in regard to services for older people and the executive is continuing to implement these. The Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have details of the specific services for older people being delivered now to be collated and to reply directly to the Deputy.
I would like to highlight to the Deputy a number of developments since the publication of the strategy as follows: from 2002 to 2004, approximately €121 million in additional revenue funding was allocated to services for older people; in 2005, a total of €15.228 million in additional funding was allocated to services for older people for a variety of services, including nursing home subvention, home care grants, elder abuse and the home help service; and a working group comprising all stakeholders was established by the Department to review the operation and administration of the nursing home subvention scheme following on from the publication of the O'Shea report on the scheme. This review was launched simultaneously with the Department of Social and Family Affairs' report on the financing of long-term care in 2003. An interdepartmental group, comprising senior officials from the Departments of Finance, Health and Children and Social and Family Affairs and chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach, was then established in January to identify the policy options for a financially sustainable system of long-term care. This group is due to report to the Tánaiste and Minster for Social and Family Affairs this summer. Home care grant schemes have been piloted in a number of areas as an alternative to long-term residential care to assist older people living at home in the community. Older people who are being discharged from the acute hospital system and those living in the community are being targeted under these schemes. Funding of €2 million has been allocated in 2005 to the Health Service Executive for the scheme.
The ten point plan aimed at improving the delivery of accident and emergency services announced by the Tánaiste is being implemented now. Additional revenue funding of €70 million has been made available to the Health Service Executive, HSE, in 2005 for these initiatives, which include measures to facilitate the discharge of patients from acute hospital beds to a more appropriate setting. Under this plan there are three specific proposals relating to services for older people: an additional 500 older people are to receive intermediate care for up to six weeks in the private sector, 100 high dependency patients are to be transferred from acute hospitals to private nursing home care; and the home care package scheme is to be expanded to support 500 additional older people who have been discharged from the acute hospital sector to their own home.
