Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

This issue relates to the loss of 41 long-term care beds at St. Mary's Hospital in the Phoenix Park, which is located in my constituency. The closure of these beds follows on from a recommendation from the Health Information Quality Authority, HIQA. I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, can imagine the concern and stress to which this has given rise among the residents and patients at St. Mary's and among their families and members of the wider community.

Bed closures have been causing chaos throughout the hospital system for many years. We have reached the point where not only are adults being left on trolleys but now children are also being left on them. There are reports of sick children lying on trolleys in hospital corridors for up to 24 days. I am sure the Minister of State is fully aware that there is a direct correlation between delayed discharges from hospitals, on one hand, and waiting lists for those who require long-term care beds in hospitals such as St. Mary's, on the other.

We all know that the cost of placing a person in a long-term care bed is only a fraction of the cost of keeping them in a regular hospital bed. The Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, and his special adviser, who is extremely well paid, are both aware of this. It is worth noting that the Minister's most senior adviser, Dr. Martin Connor - the man responsible for the special delivery unit - was awarded a three-year contract worth €480,00 in December. Dr. Connor devotes 80% of his working hours to the Minister and I understand the remainder are dedicated to his position as a research fellow at Stanford University in California. Sara Burke, a health analyst and journalist, recently noted that Dr. Connor has attended just four of the 13 HSE board meetings held since his appointment last June.

The HSE's regional service plan 2012 states that across the entire north-east region - which covers Louth, Meath, Cavan, Monaghan and Dublin city and county - between 200 to 250 additional long-term care beds will be provided in the current year. The same document also states that in view of the staffing and financial challenges which the HSE faces, the closure of some beds is unavoidable. It further states that it is not expected that closures of public long-term care beds will exceed 105 for the north-east region. We are just over two months into 2012 and now one hospital in north Dublin is due to lost 41 beds. Is the Minister of State in a position to make a commitment to our citizens that the net loss of public long-term care beds will not exceed 105? I suspect that she will not be in a position to give an undertaking in this regard. In the context of St. Mary's Hospital in the Phoenix Park, the Minister of State must indicate how the 41 beds that are due to be lost will be replaced. She must also state whether these beds will be replaced within the north Dublin catchment area.

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