Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

That is the question. I have any amount of emails begging me to draw attention to what was happening prior to the pandemic because of problems with staffing. The day centre was allowed to go so the nursing home could keep opening. The beds in the nursing home are empty. This was a wonderful facility that got praise from HIQA. It failed to be compliant on two of the criteria but I do not need to go into that now. It got super praise but also had to take remedial action. The day centre is vital for the Gaeltacht and the language. The way it is being minimised and reduced to a social model somewhere else does not recognise its importance to the area in keeping people healthy while reducing the pressure on the hospitals and so on. Clearly, some people need both nursing and social care in a day centre.

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