Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: "recognising that: — the Government is very aware of the future projections and of their implications for services and supports for our future older population, this includes not only residential provision but also community and home based supports; and — people should be supported in the care setting that is appropriate to their needs and that most older people prefer to stay in their own homes and communities for as long as possible; it is incumbent on Government to take account of this in decisions on how services and supports are structured; and acknowledges that: — in 2014 the budget for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme is €939 million and this is supporting over 22,000 people in residential care; the budget for community services is €315 million and this is providing home help and home care package services to some 56,000 people at any one time; and in addition community and home based supports were strengthened in 2014 by a further €23 million to allow more people to stay in their own homes for longer; — in July this year the Health Service Executive (HSE) allocated €5 million for an initiative to improve access to appropriate care for older people; to date, this has funded over 300 transitional care beds for patients in acute hospital from the placement list for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme and over 200 home care packages to assist patients in the acute hospitals who require a home care package to be discharged; — the Government has provided additional funding of €25 million in 2015 to address delayed discharges, which will include provision for an increased allocation to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme; planning for this initiative is well advanced; and details will be finalised in the HSE’s Service Plan later this month, with a view to their early implementation; and — the Review of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, which is currently underway, will consider the future funding and sustainability of the scheme as well as how community and residential services are balanced; this Review will be completed in the coming months, following which the Government will be considering how best to meet the needs of older people in the future."- (Minister of State at the Department of Health).

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