Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

For many years Leopardstown Park Hospital has provided respite care to facilitate carers at home looking after elderly spouses or other relatives to have at least one week a year off for the sake of their own health and psychological well-being.

Leopardstown Park Hospital has a ward of 21 beds that, unexpectedly and arbitrarily, are to be closed from 5 May. A number of constituents in my constituency have been informed that the bookings they made for persons they are caring for who are to be admitted in the months of May, June or July, for whom respite care had been confirmed, have been cancelled. People looking forward to their one week holiday a year, who have already paid money for the holidays to which they have committed, have been left high and dry by a health service that lacks humanity and insight.

My office has been in contact with the HSE and Leopardstown Park Hospital. Leopardstown Park Hospital tells me that its budget allocation this year falls short by between €1 million and €1.5 million of what is required to maintain the hospital's current services. The HSE says it is surprised the respite beds have been closed without its authority. The hospital says the HSE was told all about the hospital's difficulties in March. At some stage the HSE was saying it knew nothing about this while at another stage it was saying it would get into negotiations with the hospital.

I have a simple view. We are seeking to encourage relations and spouses to care for their elderly relations and spouses who are unwell in the home. They are performing a service which saves huge resources to this State and leaves hospital and nursing home beds vacant to others. They are entitled to the basic recognition that respite care will be made available to them. No one should be treated in a manner in which respite care already booked and confirmed is cancelled less than three weeks before it was to be utilised.

I do not want to get the same reply as that given to my colleague. I am heartily sick of being told, and I quote from the previous reply, that "as the House will be aware, operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004", and that the Minister has no dealings in the matter. It is the Government that sets policy. It is the Minister with responsibility for the elderly who has a political obligation and apparently a ministerial function to ensure the elderly in our community are treated in a decent and humane manner and have available to them the services to which they are entitled.

I call on the senior Minister, Deputy Harney, and the Minister of State who is present, Deputy Hoctor, to immediately intervene and ensure the respite care previously confirmed and made available to persons for the months of May, June and July or other months in the summer is restored. I ask that action be taken to ensure that ongoing respite care is provided in Leopardstown Park Hospital. It is an outrage and a scandal that people should be treated in this manner and that a crucial and important service, which for some people is their only lifeline to sanity and relaxation for one week in the 52 weeks of the year, should be withdrawn in the manner this service has been withdrawn.

I do not want to be told that the Minister has no function in the matter and that the HSE should deal with it. The HSE was created by the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats Government. It is maintained in its current form by the current Minister and it is an unaccountable body spending over €15 billion of taxpayers' money. I do not accept that no matter how incompetent or poor the service or how inhumane the decision made that it should never be answerable. Ultimately and politically, the Minister and Department of Health and Children are answerable to this House.

I am hoping to be told this service will be restored. I have some optimism there is a possibility because of the two bodies — the hospital and the HSE — talking to each other, that some action will be taken to at least meet the commitments already in existence. I hope I will be told the service will be fully restored and this problem is being immediately addressed and will be resolved by the weekend.

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