Ms Barbara O'Connell:

We are promoting the case management model in our pre-budget submission. We have compiled two full-research studies in respect of three case managers in the north east who operate in Cavan-Monaghan, Louth and Meath. By those three case managers being put in place, over 12 months a saving of €3.5 million was made. That does not even include the cost of the case managers in question. How were those savings made? The answer is that people were not admitted to nursing homes, while were removed from such them and sent home. Some of the individuals involved no longer needed supports. In addition, people were also removed from acute hospitals. The other research we carried out involved people who were removed from community hospitals, placed in transitional living arrangements for rehabilitation for a period of six months and then sent home. Significant savings of the order of €230,000 or €240,000 per person were made as a result of this research, which was carried out by Trinity College. I would be happy to forward the results of the research to the Senator.

We have also done outcome-measurement studies which show that the impact rehabilitation has had in the context of the people involved. The results of all of our research show that these initiatives have given rise to amazing value for money. If a case-management model and a continuum model were put in place, there would be real savings for the Exchequer.