Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

He is gone missing but I do not know where he is. I am sorry that he is not here.

On behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, I thank Deputy O'Keeffe for raising this issue. The Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of health and personal social services, including those at facilities such as St. Patrick's community hospital, Fermoy. Fermoy Community Hospital is an integral part of the Fermoy community and plays a major role in the care of older people from the town and the surrounding areas. The hospital currently has 71 beds, 54 of which are for long-term care with the remaining 17 providing convalescence, respite and palliative care. Medical cover in Cork and Kerry community hospitals and nursing units is provided by medical officers who are local general practitioners employed under contract by the HSE. This service is not a full time, on-site service, with GPs visiting at agreed times and when required during normal day time working hours. Out-of-hours cover for all residents is provided by SouthDoc after 5 p.m. on weekdays and at weekends or bank holidays. The Deputy will be aware that the provision of full medical officer cover has proven difficult at Fermoy since September 2017, following the retirement of the one of the local GPs, and more recently with the resignation of another in March 2018.

Medical cover at Fermoy Community Hospital is currently provided by a local GP. The latter provides 0.8 whole-time equivalent medical hours cover. In effect, this means that full medical cover is provided for all 54 long-term care residents, three convalescent patients and one palliative care patient, in addition to any respite admissions who are registered patients of the GP's practice. The HSE has acknowledged that the difficulties in attracting a GP or GPs to take on unfilled parts of the medical officer post is impacting on the take-up and full use of the nine respite beds in Fermoy. However, respite beds which are managed through public health nurses in the community remain open and are being utilised. It should also be pointed out that the other community hospitals and nursing homes in the surrounding areas are offered and utilised when respite care is required.

Due to the lack of full medical officer cover, respite admissions require a person's own GP to complete the assessment and administration process and to be available, if required, during the core hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It should be noted that difficulties have arisen when some GP practices in the local area have advised that they are unable to provide medical cover for their patients during respite due to work pressures and capacity issues within their own practices. Cork Kerry Community Healthcare continues to seek a permanent and sustainable solution to providing full medical cover at Fermoy Community Hospital. The GP who currently provides this service has indicated to the HSE that he is willing to provide full medical officer cover to the hospital once he has resolved the GP locum situation that continues to be problematic for him and his practice.

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