Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. The HSE has advised the Department that over the past 12 months the average number of patients clinically discharged from Cavan-Monaghan General Hospital but awaiting accommodation elsewhere has been in the region of seven to nine at any time. The HSE is examining ways of reducing the number further in order to free up these beds for other patients requiring admission.

The HSE has established hospital bed use review groups in Cavan-Monaghan hospital, Drogheda-Dundalk hospitals and in Our Lady's Hospital, Navan. The purpose of these groups is to review the bed use at each hospital site, to alleviate the overcrowding situation where possible by the introduction of any initiatives deemed appropriate, to develop and implement effective admission, transfer and discharge policies and procedures, to work in partnership to manage bed use in each hospital group in a more effective manner and to liaise with colleagues in the primary, community and continuing care directorate regarding arrangements for clinically discharged patients. There is a representative from the primary, community and continuing care directorate on each of these groups.

Deputy Connolly raises the possible temporary use of St. Davnet's Hospital as a step-down facility for patients who have been discharged following their acute phase of care. The HSE has indicated that there is currently no suitable space available for that purpose. In order to facilitate the ongoing refurbishment of wards at Monaghan General Hospital, the remaining vacant wards at St. Davnet's are being used as a temporary outpatients unit for Monaghan General Hospital.

The development of home care packages and further home support structures give wider options in looking at delayed discharges in the acute hospital system. The HSE advises the Department that additional funding has been allocated to enable more home support packages to be put in place. A joint continuing care and secondary care management team has been established with representatives of senior personnel from Cavan-Monaghan hospital and the primary and continuing care services. The team, which closely monitors all hospital discharges, has met on several occasions and continues to do so with a view to identifying innovative and appropriate responses to patients.

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