Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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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?

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this issue. I know that in his term in the Dáil and prior to that as a councillor, he has very much been an advocate for community hospitals in Kerry, in particular the West Kerry Community Hospital. We know how important the community hospitals are. They are fantastic in the level of care and service that their patients and residents get. We need to protect them but we also need to ensure that they are working at full capacity. I hope that I can answer that question as best I can.

I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for older people, Kieran O’Donnell. West Kerry Community Hospital provides important and valued services for the people in the west Kerry area. The Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell, understands the significant role that the hospital plays in the community and the depth of feeling associated with the facility. West Kerry Community Hospital is registered to accommodate a maximum of 46 residents and provides long-term care, respite, convalescence and palliative care. There are currently 42 beds open in West Kerry Community Hospital, comprising 35 long-stay beds and seven short-stay beds. All of these beds are currently occupied. West Kerry Community Hospital cannot admit any more residents at this present time, as the opening of additional beds is dependent on safe staffing levels, as the Deputy has quite rightly pointed out.

West Kerry Community Hospital, in common with other health facilities, particularly in rural areas, can experience staffing shortages for a variety of reasons. However, the HSE constantly endeavours to mitigate staff deficits and ensure that safe staffing levels are maintained. I assure the Deputy that the current care ratio in West Kerry Community Hospital is consistent with that of all community hospitals and community nursing units across the country.

There are currently a number of nursing and health care assistant vacancies in West Kerry Community Hospital and every effort is being made to fill these. HSE south west has progressed numerous recruitment initiatives at national and international levels to fill these positions. These campaigns have been progressed against the background of a limited pool of available candidates, which is reflected in the global recruitment challenges being experienced. In October 2024, West Kerry Community Hospital was approved to fill 4.3 WTE nursing posts. To date, one candidate has been recruited with a start date of April 2025. Once the full complement of staff has been recruited, the HSE will be in a position to open the remaining beds.

The HSE is working to provide additional beds at West Kerry Community Hospital so that the hospital can provide an enhanced service for the local community. However, as I have already outlined, plans to increase capacity are dependent on appropriate staffing levels being in place and the outcome of ongoing recruitment campaigns. Officials from the Department of Health will continue to monitor the situation and to provide updates to the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell. The Minister of State remains committed to working alongside the HSE to address all concerns in respect of the residential care for older persons in west Kerry, now and for the coming years.

As Deputy Cahill quite rightly highlighted, a five-hour return journey to visit a loved one is not acceptable. It is something that should expedite the drive to recruit extra staff so that West Kerry Community Hospital can work at capacity. The Deputy also made a relevant point on the Irish language factor. Being in a Gaeltacht area, there should be an expectation that patients be among other Irish language speakers.

My apologies, as I nearly had a slip of the tongue and said "west Cork" a few times. Deputy Cahill will have to forgive me for that.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Minister of State to get directly in touch with the Minister of State with responsibility for older people? The reply is pretty much the same as that received by the former Deputy for Kerry, Brendan Griffin, last January 12 months. It is not acceptable or fair on the staff in West Kerry Community Hospital, including the doctors and nurses, its patients and, indeed, the patients' families. I ask that every effort be made to open the 79 beds and to provide staffing levels.

I referred to patients in Kenmare Community Hospital from west Kerry and patients in Dingle Community Hospital who were from Kenmare. It is only a case of switching them around. It is not rocket science. I ask that the Minister of State take this matter up as soon as possible please and address it. Families are stressed out over it. It is simply not good enough and I ask that the people of west Kerry and Dingle get what they deserve. Community hospitals are all about community, yet there is this idea of splitting them apart with a two and a half hour drive to get from one area to another to visit a loved one. Being able visit that loved on in the immediate community is what we should be striving for. I ask that every effort be made and that the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, whom I thank for his time and response, contact the Minister of State for older people directly about addressing this most urgent matter as soon as possible.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Cahill again. There are 46 beds registered in West Kerry Community Hospital, 42 of which are currently open and occupied. West Kerry Community Hospital cannot admit more resident at present, as the opening of additional beds is dependent on staffing levels. West Kerry Community Hospital has experienced some difficulties with staff shortages, but all efforts are being made on a continuous basis to ensure safe staffing levels are in place to maximise the residential care capacity in the facility. Once the full complement of staff has been recruited in West Kerry Community Hospital, the HSE will be in position to open the remaining beds. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, and the HSE are committed to maximising all available services for older people in the Kerry region. The HSE continuously reviews its services in line with population, health planning and Sláintecare principles to ensure that adequate and appropriate residential care services are available to older people in the region.

I will bring Deputy Cahill's specific requests to the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, and I will point out that a similar reply to this one was issued in January 12 months ago and that we need to see more progress. I will be asking him that every single effort be made. There are positions to be filled. I appreciate that there is a difficulty in recruiting, and that is a global issue, but the people of west Kerry deserve better. They deserve a hospital that is working at full capacity. The level of care being provided in community hospitals the length and breadth of the country is extraordinary. I am sure it is the same in West Kerry Community Hospital, so it is important that a solution be found.

I thank the Deputy again for bring this issue up and for speaking on behalf of the people of Kerry.