Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and thank her for taking this matter which concerns long-term planning. The Minister has set out clearly the need for a ten-year strategy on palliative care. However, we need to consider the HSE's 2015 annual report and the emphasis placed in it on the need for urgency in dealing with demographic influences. Let us consider the figures. In this regard, the Minister of State will have seen the figures quoted previously.

The number of people aged 65 years and over is 600,000, but by 2031 the corresponding figure will be over 1 million, which will represent growth of 400,000 within a short timeframe. The good and interesting news is that the number in the over 85 age group is also increasing. My understanding is that the figure has increased by approximately 20% in the past six years alone. The HSE report cites the fact that the number in the over 85 age group is growing by approximately 4.5% per annum. I am looking for some joined-up thinking among those involved in elderly care, including in the private and the public sectors. The fair deal scheme is functioning well in the sense that there are now over 23,000 people in private nursing homes under the scheme. The question is how we plan for what will happen in the long term and whether we can have the same ratio in the coming 15 years. How can we provide for care in nursing homes without the necessity of people having to be admitted to hospital? An issue arises when elderly persons are referred to hospital from nursing homes. Is the emergency department the appropriate route for them?

The matter I am raising relates to long-term planning and the need to put something comprehensive in place to deal with the growing number for whom we will have to provide in the coming ten, 12 and 15 years. That is the context in which I am raising the matter with the Minister of State.