Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I appreciate the points he made. We will discuss it at Government level, with the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Mary Butler, and with all of those involved. It is fair to say that the entire situation is changing and evolving. Covid-19 had a huge impact on the nursing home sector. The level of State intervention and supports was both unprecedented and significant. The economics of nursing homes are also changing. We want to advance home care to a greater degree. The length of stays in nursing homes is shortening, which is a good thing in some respects because it means that people are staying at home for longer. However, that then has an impact on the economics. Contracts being developed between acute hospitals and nursing homes in order to deal with people's recovery after hip operations, convalescence and so on. We need to create a model that is high quality and affirmed by HIQA from that perspective. It must also be economically sustainable and be capable of dealing with the growth in demand. The fact that people are living much longer than they used to also has implications.

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