Mr. Andy Heffernan:

There is a sense of that but I only have anecdotal evidence of it from what I hear at some of our own centres, which are trying to encourage people to come out. I would have thought that we are over the worst of that now because we are two years on. Yet, based on what the Deputy is saying, and anecdotally, there is still evidence of that out there. As I said, in fairness to the Government, it launched a campaign over the past number of months to get people back into their own communities and services, etc.

I have noticed - and I have also heard it anecdotally from two areas around the country - regarding people who were accessing a day service through a day centre that they discharged themselves to go into long-term care, but were still sufficiently independent, well and healthy in terms of comorbidities. Yet, they went into long-term care early. One of those instances may have been down to the opening of a new nursing home. There is a certain amount of fear that there will be a crisis in three or four years, and they will not be able to get into a nursing home at that stage. I have heard about this in two parts of the country. It is something I have asked our team to keep an eye on in case it becomes a pattern or trend. Certainly, it would worry us if someone goes into long-term care but is perfectly capable of being supported in their own home or in a day service.