Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I take it that from the end of these six beds that there is going to be no tendering process whatsoever for it.

Choice has to be left with the patient. Do they now have to access the funds to get their convalescent care? Has that been tendered by the HSE? Have the HSE hired a new recruitment group for carrying out that tendering process for the beds, or how is that supported? How can patients access those funds?

The whole idea about convalescent care I assume is because they need 24 hour care or assistance and that there are no home care packages available to step patients down and so they have to use home care facilities. If one was to look at 168 hours required for 24-7 convalescent care in nursing homes it works out as €3.25 per hour for the Government, as opposed to €18 to €25 it would cost in a home care package.

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