Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Feighan for raising this very important issue. I know he is a passionate supporter of, and campaigner for, palliative care centres, particularly in the Mayo-Roscommon area. It is one of the great success stories of our age that so many more people are living for so much longer. While many older people enjoy good health for most of their lives, there will also inevitably be increased numbers of people living in the community with chronic diseases and life-limiting illnesses. As a society, we need to plan now to meet the needs of these people and palliative care is one of the components that we must think about and prepare for, hence I support Senator Feighan's proposal today. It is the intention of the Government that people will be provided with the type of palliative care services they need, regardless of what diagnosis they have, how old they are or whether they die in a hospice, an acute hospital, a nursing home or at home. Significant progress has been made in recent years in improving access to specialist palliative care services. We now have 202 specialist inpatient palliative care beds in ten locations across the country. That total will rise to 217 once the 15 beds planned for Kerry Hospice are open. The HSE is also working closely with local hospice groups in several locations to ensure equity of access to specialist palliative care across the country. All HSE areas have community specialist palliative home care teams. There are 38 acute hospital specialist palliative care teams across the country and over 170 palliative care support beds in around 80 locations around the country. At present 92% of people receive specialist palliative care services in the community within seven days of referral while 97% have access to a specialist bed within seven days. That is a figure we should all be proud of. There are, of course, issues that remain to be tackled. Senator Feighan asked about the palliative care centre at Roscommon University Hospital. The Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, recently met with the representatives of the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation to discuss the development of the new unit. The hospice group is working closely with the local Health Service Executive community health organisation and the Saolta hospital group to progress the development of the proposed eight-bed unit, which will be built on the grounds of Roscommon University Hospital.

With regard to the allocation of Exchequer funding, the HSE's first priority in the region is the opening of the 14-bed special palliative care inpatient hospice in Mayo. That unit is due to open in 2018. The HSE will continue to work closely with the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation to agree the financial and staffing requirements for the new unit. The required funding will be included by the HSE in its annual Estimates request as soon as is feasible. The successful development of palliative care services in Ireland has been based on a long-standing tradition of positive engagement between the voluntary, statutory and private sectors. Organisations such as Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation have a vital role to play in this work, both by initiating programmes and by collaborating with the HSE in a positive way on a range of fronts to strengthen the provision of palliative care. The Minister looks forward to continuing to work on this collaborative basis in the future.