Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There has been a decision by the HSE to cap the number of transitional care beds that it funds for patients waiting for places in nursing or convalescent homes. In the Cork and Kerry region, as the HSE has stated, the knock-on effect of this would be that it would add to bottlenecks in acute hospitals. HSE officials have indicated that this will result in additional delays to discharges. We already know that the HSE does not have the bed capacity in acute or community hospitals to manage the volume of patients requiring care. It is all to save money and balance the budget. The national care office has stated that if it is to reach a break-even position, unfortunately there is no choice. In creating another waiting list, what will be the outcome for these people? What impact will there be on the nursing home system and hospital system, and what is going to be the overall impact on society? Last week, Sinn Féin received cross-party support in respect of a Private Members' motion for significant change to elder care provision. There are over 6,000 people already on waiting lists for home help. I appeal to senior HSE management to stop now and to reverse the decision to cap services for the sake of money.

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