Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Joe McHugh. The matter before the House this morning relates to the need for community intervention teams in each area. The reason I raise the issue on the Commencement debate is the need for the health service to reduce the number of people admitted to hospital, particularly from nursing homes. I understand Nursing Homes Ireland has had detailed discussions with the HSE on this matter. I also understand there has been a slowdown in the process of introducing community intervention teams. The idea is that more services would be delivered within nursing homes or to people living in their own homes rather than in hospitals.

A simple example of where we are falling down relates to the provision of dietitians. If someone in a nursing home needs to see a dietitian, he or she has to go into hospital, as HSE dietitians are not available to go to nursing homes. More intervention at local community level would mean that fewer people would have to go into hospital or attend outpatient clinics. That approach is especially important in cases in which a number of people are gathered, as in nursing homes, and that is the context in which I raise this matter.