Results 30,161-30,180 of 33,115 for speaker:Catherine Connolly

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Never.

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: All right. Mr. O'Brien might check that. Are the HSE and the Department of Health operating in a vacuum in terms of public nursing home beds?

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Okay. How has it been decided that almost 80% of beds should be private and 20% of beds should be public? How was that determined?

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: I understand that. I do not mean to cut across Mr. O'Brien, but I have grasped that and I have heard it. I have limited time. Mr. O'Brien has already given that explanation. I am taking it to a higher level. Mr. O'Brien has said there is no obligation in this area. This means the HSE is operating in a vacuum. If it wanted to, it could decide tomorrow to pursue a policy of 100% private beds.

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: If the HSE did not have those beds, and if the public nursing beds-----

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: I thank Mr. O'Brien.

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: I thank Mr. O'Brien. That is very clear. The point is that in the absence of a policy direction, the HSE has gone in a direction that has led to 79% of nursing home beds being private beds. That has happened without any policy. It has just gone in that direction. Mr. O'Brien's explanation for the reduction in the number of public nursing home beds is that HIQA has imposed limits on the...

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Can Mr. O'Brien give me the explanation?

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: I have the greatest difficulty with that. I understand that the ratio was the subject of a legal obligation at some stage. Mr. O'Brien has told me that no such obligation exists now. I understand it was in place previously. I also have a difficulty with Mr. O'Brien's point about choice. My understanding is that when people come forward to look for beds in nursing homes, they are more or...

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: A person in Galway city might be told there is a bed 20 or 30 miles out the road in a location that is not served by public transport. He or she might be told to choose that bed or another one. Is Mr. O'Brien saying that is not happening?

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Great.

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Great.

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: An analogy can be made with the housing assistance payment. An applicant can go anywhere he or she likes. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: An applicant can go anywhere he or she likes as long as he or she finds a house. Is that not the same analogy?

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: I understand. I will refer to Galway again. Sometimes it is easier to use a place. A person living in Galway who tries to get into a nursing home in that city, where there is public transport to enable him or her to visit loved ones, might be unable to get in because the nursing home is full. In such circumstances, he or she will have to go to Loughrea or Kilcolgan. Is that right?

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: He or she will have no choice.

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: What is available.

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: Lovely. Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015 (9 Mar 2017)

Catherine Connolly: I thank Mr. Marron for that clarification. I do not accept that it is a choice. People cannot get public nursing home beds. They are not aware that they are entitled to choose. More publicity is needed. I would say very few people realise that there is now no difference between public and private in terms of the assessment. Mr. Marron is right when he says that one is theoretically...