Seanad debates

Wednesday, 11 March 2009

Order of Business (Resumed).

 

11:00 am

Photo of Phil PrendergastPhil Prendergast (Labour)

I ask the Leader for a debate on the HIQA standards launched this week regarding the promotion of best practice in residential care settings for older people and to improve the quality of life for residents in these settings. I would like a discussion on how the additional loading on each bed in each setting was arrived at. The HSE transformation programme 2007-10 places an emphasis on providing services in primary, community and continuing care settings rather than in acute hospitals.

St. Patrick's Geriatric Hospital in Waterford is a hospital and not a nursing home. The nursing staff are skilled in rehabilitation nursing, which is very important in enabling people to have the best quality of life they can. They are also skilled in venopuncture, canulation, gastronomy tube insertion, male catheterisation, CPR and nurse prescribing, among other things. It is a very different setting from nursing homes and has skilled staff. It should be remembered when any decision is being made, because St. Patrick's Hospital in Waterford should retain its hospital status and is providing a service which has been lauded as being the standard to be achieved by all working in this area.

We should have a debate here with the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, with special responsibility for older people, Deputy Máire Hoctor, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney, or the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, whomever is most appropriate. Perhaps all of them could come in and make a contribution on what the best outcome would be for these people because what is happening now is not popular.

The issue of the setting of fees needs to be debated very widely because if these charges are to be passed on, in addition to residence, they seem to be set at boom time levels rather than being realistic proposals for people trying to carry out their jobs. It is having a dreadfully negative impact. People are seriously worried.

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