Phil Prendergast (Labour)

It was stated in a recent newspaper report that taxpayers are paying up to €4 million per week to keep in hospital patients who are fit for discharge. More than 700 patients each week are forced to remain in hospital because the follow-up services they require are either not in place or have limited availability. The report referred to these people as "bed-blockers", a term which I find offensive because, as service users, they have no control over the duration of their hospital stay. The Department of Health and Children has repeatedly promised to increase the number of nursing home beds to cater for those who need convalescent care prior to discharge. It appears the number of people taking up acute beds unnecessarily has increased in the past year.

I am concerned about two aspects of this issue. It is well documented that minimising hospital stays can reduce the incidence of MRSA and Clostridium difficile. It is essential that patients are in hospital for acute reasons that require hands-on care and immediate and active treatment, followed by which they should be discharged as quickly as possible for the benefit of all. The availability of non-invasive and supportive services would have a significant impact on the management of these patients. These services could be provided by health care professionals, such as GPs, community physiotherapists and public health nurses. It should not be necessary for a patient to remain in hospital for treatments such as wound dressing or physiotherapy where these can be offered in the community.

When services go through cutbacks or restructuring, we should take cognisance of the reasons people might be in hospital and the impact this has on costs. It is estimated that an acute hospital bed costs almost €1,700 per week, which is approximately six times the cost of keeping a patient in a nursing home. Not everybody requires nursing home care or can be immediately discharged from an acute hospital setting. We need to reconsider how the HSE supplies services and I hope we can help to formulate a meaningful policy when we hold our debate on this issue.