Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Senator knows, the Government is committed to ensuring that Portiuncula Hospital can continue to deliver patient-centred, quality-driven and quality-focused service and provide a wide range of diagnostic and support services to meet the needs of its catchment area. The construction of the 50-bed ward is good news for the people of east Galway, Roscommon, the midlands and the mid-west.

Strategic reform in the model of delivery of care for older people is under way in pursuit of the policy goal of supporting older people in living independently in their own homes and communities for longer. Community nursing units will continue to play a vital part in an overall continuum of care for older people over the coming years as our older population increases in line with demographic trends. The continued implementation of the community nursing unit programme, including the 50-bed long-stay facility at Sacred Heart Hospital in Roscommon, will contribute to achieving that.

I thank the staff at the two hospitals for their great work and I thank the Senator for raising this very important issue.