Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Andrews, for taking this debate. However, I am disappointed that the Minister for Health and Children is not present because this matter affects many families in her constituency. Many of the families who use this service live in Clondalkin and Palmerstown, which is in our constituency of Dublin Mid-West.

Cherry Orchard is very close to these families and many of them have become used to the service provided there. I spoke to families who use the roll-over respite care beds. This means they use the service every second week. Given the way in which beds are available to patients for different parts of the week, which itself is welcome, the many families that get to use the service will be affected. They have become used to the service, but they themselves provide the HSE with a good service because they perform all caring tasks for patients when the latter are not in Cherry Orchard Hospital.

As Deputy Upton stated, the new arrangements proposed for the summer months will cause the families much hardship, as many of them are not well off and might not have access to cars, nor might there be public transport to the private nursing homes that are proposed to be used instead. Like Deputy Upton, I question whether the proposal is more cost effective than employing extra staff to keep the unit open, which would allow the families to continue using the service during the summer months.

There is no similar proposal in respect of long-stay patients. Indeed, most people would view closing a hospital for the summer months and moving long-stay patients absurd. If it is not acceptable for long-stay patients, it is not acceptable for patients who use this respite care service. They make the HSE a significant saving by not handing their relatives into its care on a long-stay basis. They care for their relatives 24 hours per day every other day of the week for most of the year. When compared with the hardship caused to families who should be protected from such, cost effectiveness does not make sense.

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