Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the fantastic care that is provided at all the district hospitals in Cork South-West. The background to this debate is that in recent years, even as the good care I have mentioned has been acknowledged, one hospital or another has always been in danger of closing. It seems to be Clonakilty Community Hospital's turn this time. I am raising this matter in the House so that this issue can be put to bed. Will the Minister of State address concerns about beds being closed at the hospital? Clonakilty Community Hospital is a public unit with 137 beds spread over three blocks. I am advised that block 1 of the facility may be closed shortly and that the first floor of the block has already been converted into office space. I am further advised that just 129 of the 137 beds available are currently in service and that 113 of the beds that are in use are earmarked for long-term use. In other words, they are for patients availing of the fair deal scheme. The other 16 beds are used as community support or respite care beds. There are no obvious issues with access to fair deal beds at present. The problem arises when a patient who does not need to access an acute hospital facility is denied a bed in a community hospital simply because only long-term beds are available.

I suggest that the current funding model needs to be addressed. Community hospitals are not in a position to facilitate additional community support or respite beds because they are not getting funding for such services. They are being asked to carry the ultimate cost of providing these beds, but this is not feasible. This is essentially what is causing the so-called "bed-blocking" in our main hospitals. Patients are entitled to specified amounts of respite care over the course of a year. Patients or their families may pay for further respite care. Patients or their families are often delighted to avail of this facility, only to be told they cannot be accommodated due to bed shortages. As I have pointed out, bed shortages are not necessarily an issue in this case. The matter is further complicated by HIQA standards, which have led to reductions in bed and ward numbers to comply with spacing regulations. While Clonakilty Community Hospital can work with these bed reductions in the best interests of the comfort of its patients, the hospital authorities need to be reassured that further beds will not be lost and that a funding model will be put in place to enable the number of beds in the facility to be maximised.

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