Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister of State is aware, staffing and beds in all our hospitals is a huge issue. This is not just the case in our large acute hospitals but also in all our community hospitals, and West Kerry Community Hospital is no different. A provision was once made for 71 beds in West Kerry Community Hospital. It was capped at 36 beds, and there are only 42 open today, which means there should be room for a further 29 beds. GPs in Dingle and throughout west Kerry have been endeavouring to secure beds for patients throughout the peninsula. It is important to open this wing for the purpose it was built for and provide a valued service for all the people of Dingle and west Kerry. In that context, West Kerry Community Hospital is not fulfilling the purpose for which it was developed. I am aware of cases where patients from Kenmare, following discharge from hospital, have been transferred to Dingle Community Hospital and vice versa.

In the process, these patients have bypassed a number of community hospitals much nearer to their local communities. I want to emphasise that, for the families visiting these patients, it is a five-hour return trip. The idea of having to travel two and a half hours each way is absolutely outrageous. To have to travel that long distance to visit loved ones should not be acceptable and should be addressed as soon as possible. The solution is not rocket science and common sense must prevail.

This is especially upsetting in the context of those patients from the Gaeltacht being sent to hospitals outside of their own environment, feeling undermined and lost when they cannot communicate with fellow speakers of Gaeilge. This can be confusing for our senior citizens who are used to speaking Irish 24-7.

On staffing levels, I am aware that the direct care ratio has not been reviewed since 2016 and that staff who have retired have not been replaced. Residents, their families and the staff in Dingle in west Kerry have been let down and I would go as far as to say forgotten. Action is required now in West Kerry Community Hospital, beds need to be opened and proper staffing levels need to be provided. When the subject of West Kerry Community Hospital was raised at the beginning of last year, it was said that the intention of the HSE was to continue to sustain the current workforce and to maintain the 46 beds in the centre. It was also said that considerable efforts were being made to increase staff numbers and bed capacity in west Kerry as well as to facilitate clear pathways for the transition of patients from the acute sector to the community. Will the Minister of State provide me with an update on this most important ongoing issue in west Kerry?

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