Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is a fair point. We can debate the pros and cons of the winter initiative. There has been significant progress on the issue of delayed discharges, the number of which has been reduced to its lowest level since they were first recorded. There is a direct correlation with the level of investment in providing additional home care packages and transitional care beds and with the utilisation of capacity in nursing homes, both public and private. The Deputy is right. We do not want - neither does a patient - a scenario where a patient finds himself or herself in hospital over a weekend where he or she is medically fit to go home where he or she would much rather be. Hospitals have a predicted date of discharge, PDD. Patients are clinically assessed and allocated a PDD. Clinicians should work towards ensuring somebody who is ready to go home on a Saturday or a Sunday will not be left in hospital until the Monday and that preparations will be made for him or her to be discharged. The Deputy's point is valid.

In response to Deputy Louise O'Reilly, the figures I have in front of me are for intensive home care packages. I will need to provide her with a breakdown of dementia-specific packages. The target in 2015 for intensive home care packages was 190 but 195 were delivered. The target in 2016 was 130 but 180 were delivered. The target in 2017 is to provide 190. I do not have a breakdown of dementia-specific packages, but I will obtain it for the Deputy.