Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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I wish to go back to the issue of the elective hospital. I know I dealt with it and the roll-out of this in the past week with the Minister. I am extremely concerned about CUH. The reason I raise the matter again is the issue of getting people out of CUH. It now appears that the bed management team have a huge problem in trying to get step-down facilities for people who require full-time care but do not need hospital care. I have had quite a number of families on to me - I think six - where the period they are in the hospital longer than required ranges from over three months to more than 12. The families now are going from facility to facility trying to get step-down care and it is not working. We have a new premises acquired, the old golf links hotel in Blarney. My understanding is that the refurbishment is completed. There is capacity for 50 beds at the facility. All the indications are that it will not open until January next. Is there any way we can now bring this forward? People are complaining about getting into hospital and about people getting out of hospital and into step-down facilities. It is not working. I do not care what anyone says to me. I have heard from families who are now onto their fourth or fifth facility as regards trying to get that facility to take them in. There seems to be a standoff between the hospital wanting to get people out and the nursing home saying it cannot take them in because they require additional care compared with the normal nursing home patient or resident. I am talking about the Cork area specifically and I am sure it is happening around the country as well. We really do not have efficient use of hospital beds if this is the problem. What can we do to fast-track this issue?