Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister stated it is the responsibility of the management to work within the resources of the allocated funding, but this does not take account of the additional staff needed over the past number of years due to the debilitative nature of the patients in these houses. These patients are getting older, their disability is getting worse, and the management and staff had to hire additional staff to ensure that there was a safe level of service being provided. HIQA recently carried out a monitoring inspection of St. Christopher's and deemed that the staffing levels at all facilities are adequate. The staffing levels are not high or low; they are merely adequate.

The Minister talked about the HSE engaging with the management of St. Christopher's. The last contact St. Christopher's had from the HSE, before Monday last, was on 5 August. Over two months elapsed in which there was no contact.

The proposal from the HSE was to take these patients out of their homes and put them, under the fair deal scheme, in nursing homes. That does not make economic sense.

See this speech in context