Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his, as always, considered contribution. I welcome the fact that integrated social day-care services are planned and I hope the HSE will get the funding through the Estimates in 2019. We should support anything that prevents social isolation, reduces possible hospital admissions and supports the early discharge from acute settings. There is a very elderly community in Ballinamore and it should get priority funding and attention.

The fact that 4,500 additional short-term and long-term beds will be required throughout the public system in community nursing homes and other step-down facilities was identified by the health capacity review. There is no better place to increase the number of beds than Ballinamore. The 65 beds in St. Patrick's Hospital in Carrick-on-Shannon and the 36 beds in Arus Carolan in Mohill are very welcome. Providing an extra 20 beds in Ballinamore would bring it on par with Mohill. It is not that one is competing with the other, but that these beds are needed in the south Leitrim area. I know the Minister of State will look favourably on providing these extra beds for Ballinamore, and I hope he does so.