Mr. Bernard Gloster:

Obviously, I do not know about the individual cases. Ms Day can comment on the process of getting out of hospital in a second, if required, but I suspect the Deputy's question is more focused on the 240 beds. Mr. Mulvany will speak to that in a moment. However, in general, nobody's transfer out of an acute hospital is delayed for 12 months simply for the want of a community bed. It is probably the case that a very highly specialised bed is required or that there is a highly complex set of social circumstances surrounding that person. While both public and private providers may say they have a bed, I assure the Deputy that there are also a countless number of occasions on which providers will not accept or receive certain patients on discharge as a result of complexities. That is a general issue. Ms Day and I will certainly look at that case with CUH.

Last week, I promised the Deputy that I would check out something. He mentioned that he felt that CUH was in some way disadvantaged in the general process of how decisions were made.