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

HSE community healthcare west has informed the Minister of State that it is committed to a new 40-bed community unit, and that needs to be expedited, which would address the 1.3 km arrangement in regard to rosters. She welcomes the fact the HSE is examining the possibility of providing enhanced community care services in Clifden hospital. The integrated care programme for older persons, ICPOP, teams, as we all know, are fantastic. There is a multidisciplinary approach, with a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, OT, and whatever else is needed as part of the integrated programme for older person services. ICPOP services ensure that older people with complex care needs can access care quickly or near their home through care pathways specifically designed for older people, targeting falls, frailty and dementia.

That is exactly what is required in Clifden hospital. It is the ICPOP team we should be looking for at the moment while the new build is going on. That is the ask, and I would support the Minister of State and all the Deputies from the west because I take on board exactly what they are saying. The five-and-a-half-hour round trip to Merlin Park is not satisfactory to the people of Clifden, not least on bad, frosty nights. We talk about catering to people as close to their home as possible and we need to support that concept. We did it previously with the ambulance base, when we got everyone sitting around the table, and I will continue to advocate for this given where Clifden is and where Merlin Park is, meaning people have to travel across the city and so on. Moving people with frailty from their natural habitat to Merlin Park is not good enough; in fact, it reduces their life expectancy. The HSE needs to look at itself in regard to what measures it needs to put in place to ensure people will get the care as close to home as possible and in a timely manner.

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