Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Once the work has been done - the meetings have taken place and people are happy to be on board - we will take another look at where it has progressed at the start of next year. If we think all of the work is done on it, then we will have no difficulty in publishing it but it is important that we get it right. It is not something that can be changed in future, nevertheless it is essential that we get it right. The NGOs such as Age Action Ireland will have a very important role to play in this, because we do not want people diagnosed with dementia ending up in the acute hospitals or in long-stay care. People with dementia definitely do not want it.

We are reviewing the fair deal scheme. It is working very satisfactorily for nursing homes. I know that there will be problems with waiting lists from time to time, but it is still the fairest of all the schemes introduced. It is the only scheme in Ireland that has a "money follows the patient" concept and we should look at this in other areas. We are looking at how to extend it into the community in the same way as we deal with people in long-stay care. We are not talking about the fund at it now exists being used for community care. The fund needs to be used as it is now being used. There already exists an extensive budget for community care anyway, and it is about how people access that. It is about how the fund is delivered. I get very worried when I hear people talking about extending the fair deal scheme into the community, and I know they assume that the fund will be extended as well.

It would be remiss of me not tell the committee that A Vision for Change is moving on apace. As we speak, the staff and other stakeholders in the mental health services in Galway and Roscommon are being informed that the unit in Ballinasloe will close and will be phased out between now and the end of the year. Admissions will not be accepted any longer in Ballinasloe and we are putting in place a community outreach team in that area. Admissions will be to Roscommon and Galway. The new 50 bed unit to be built in Galway will have an incredible impact in that area. It is a good news story for A Vision for Change and the building in Ballinasloe will continue to be used as the headquarters for the community outreach team and for old age psychiatry. We will also develop three beds for people with challenging behaviour who are being treated in that area. It would be remiss of me not to inform the committee of this when I know that the other public representatives in that area are being told as we speak.