Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have made it crystal clear in the Department, working with the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and to the new chief executive of the HSE, Mr. Bernard Gloster, that I am not prepared to see any more public beds close. It is as simple as that. The statistics for the past 12 months show it is not the case that we have closed public beds.

Let me refer to the current situation on care for older people provided in private and voluntary nursing homes and community nursing units such as West Kerry Community Hospital. These are mainly hospitals for older people. Providing these supports is important. Currently, 81% of supports are provided by private nursing homes, 3% are provided by voluntary nursing homes, and only 16% are provided by the rest. Therefore, I have made it very clear that I will not stand over the closure of any of these beds. We have to become inventive in recruiting people into these areas, and I will work with the HSE to determine what we can do. The maximum number of people who can be safely accommodated in the hospital, which is 46, is currently being accommodated.

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