Results 1,161-1,180 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Seanad: Death of former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: On behalf of the Fine Gael Party and as leader of the Fine Gael Seanad group, I pay tribute to our former party colleague, the late Senator Michael Howard, a true gentleman of striking appearance who hailed from north Clare, the heart of the Burren. I acknowledge the presence of many of Michael's family members with us in the Seanad today as we speak about him and his contribution to this...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 4: In page 12, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following subsection: "(6) The Minister shall provide a report to the Houses of the Oireachtas on the funds made available for the Nursing Home State Support Scheme.". This issue of how the elderly will get support if they need residential care is one of the critical issues we in society must face at present. As the...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank the Minister of State, but her response does not reassure me and I will tell her why. In the past year mental health funding was supposed to be ring-fenced but it has disappeared into a black hole and has not been used for mental health. There is a number of other examples. The idea that there is a subhead where this money should be spent is not enough. The fact that it is in the...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 5: In page 13, subsection (4), line 2, after "possible," to insert "not to exceed a period of six weeks". This amendment is about the assessment. The Bill accepts there should be a care assessment. Section 7(4) states: "Upon receipt of an application for a care needs assessment, the Executive shall, as soon as reasonably possible ....". Instead of as soon as is...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I welcome the fact that the Minister intends to publish guidelines, which will be helpful. I take it they will be published shortly.

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: That will be helpful. I ask the Minister of State to bear in mind the difficulties that will arise if those guidelines are not rigorous and detailed in regard to when this assessment should be done, again bearing in mind the high dependency people we are in general talking about. The Minister of State used the statistic of 79%. Almost 80% is not a bad statistic with regard to the completion...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Two issues are dealt with in this series of amendments Nos. 6 to 14. I ask the Minister of State to consider the possibility of including social workers in the multidisciplinary team. The legislation is not making their inclusion mandatory but is proposing that professionals are to be used as appropriate. There would be occasions where it would be appropriate that a social worker would be...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Senator Rónán Mullen and Senator Nicky McFadden have put the case extremely well. There is a real danger of minimalist standards, combined with the lack of an independent review. There is a striking lack throughout the Bill of provision for independence or independent reviews, or involvement by people other than the HSE. This can be linked to an earlier amendment I put down which was...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Minister of State indicated several times that the care needs assessment is a physical assessment under subsection (7). Under subsection (6), however, it is clear that a care needs assessment takes into account family and community support as well as medical, health and personal and social services. The members of the multidisciplinary team are not defined under this subsection. The...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Minister of State did not respond to this amendment. Is she willing to consider it?

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Perhaps the Leas-Chathaoirleach will repeat that.

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I do not agree that this amendment should be withdrawn.

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I find this extraordinary because the whole point of the Bill is to provide financial support to people who need residential care. The paragraph concerned states that the Executive does not have any obligation to provide a service.

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I will speak to the matter when we come to discussing the section.

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 17: In page 14, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following subsection: "(13) The content of a care needs assessment report shall be provided to a nursing home in advance of the subject residing in and receiving care from said nursing home.". This is a straightforward amendment. This is good practice and is already incorporated into the code of practice for...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am suggesting that it should be obligatory practice that where a person is moving from one setting to another, the care needs assessment report should be forwarded to the place to which he or she is going. That makes sense. I am not sure the section referred to by the Minister deals adequately with this matter.

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank the Minister of State for her response. She has clearly tried to address the issues raised on Committee Stage in the Dáil and I accept that consent is very important. It is interesting, however, that the code of practice for integrated discharge planning by the HSE, which is supported by Age Action and everyone else with an interest in this area, emphasises the need for sharing...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I withdraw the amendment but I would like the Minister to come back on it on Report Stage if she can.