Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To go back to the issue of community care, no matter what kind of community care the HSE can provide, it will not be adequate and a certain number of people will have to be admitted into nursing homes for the care they require. There is a significant gap between what it costs per bed in private and public nursing homes. The latter is, on average, €1,650 per bed per week, while the former is €1,000 per bed per week. Several private nursing homes have closed because it was no longer viable for them to stay open. Where is the Department now in taking account of the new challenges private nursing homes will face with the cost of energy, etc.? When will there be engagement on dealing with those challenges so that there are no further closures?

The second matter I wish to raise relates to workforce planning. There was reference to the shortage of nurses. I understand that some private hospitals are now training people specifically as theatre assistants. Those staff are not qualified nurses but they are specifically trained as theatre assistants. That is happening in other jurisdictions as well. Is that approach being considered?

My final point is that nurses are highly qualified yet they are still doing a lot of work that care assistants could be doing. That is not taking from care assistants. In fairness to nurses, they are well qualified now. In fact, many junior doctors will say it is nurses who are doing an awful lot of their training because nurses have so much experience and skill. Is the issue of nurses' responsibilities and delegating some of that work down to care assistants being considered in the whole realignment? Similarly, is the issue of theatre assistants being considered?