Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive response. The nursing homes represent the private sector. As the Minister of State has said, unions are represented on the task force, which is extremely important. Around 22,000 beds are provided by the private sector and, therefore, it plays a major part in dealing with the issues involved.

It would be interesting to discuss the transfer of people from nursing homes to accident and emergency departments. Would they have been better off staying in the nursing homes? If they had, they would probably have got equally good care and treatment. This issue arose at a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children held last Thursday week, when Senator Jillian van Turnhout mentioned what happened when her father fell ill. His regular GP was unavailable so the family called the doctor-on-call service. That doctor immediately responded by suggesting that the Senator's father should be transferred to an accident and emergency unit. Such admissions, particularly when they happen at weekends, create problems in EDs. If nursing homes were represented on the task force they could play a key part in working to reduce the number of people who are transferred from nursing homes to accident and emergency units.