Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I rise to raise the issue of Bandon Community Hospital and to acknowledge the tremendous work done by our former Seanad colleague, Peter Callanan, over many years in trying to resolve the issue.

Bandon Community Hospital is a single storey building dating back to 1929. It is run by the HSE and has undergone some renovations and modifications over the years. The facility and staff provide respite and palliative care for 22 elderly people of mixed dependency. The hospital serves the people of Bandon town and the wider community, covering a 12 to 15 mile radius ranging from as far as Clonakilty to Kinsale and therefore serves a community of approximately 33,000 people. A private nursing home in the area closed at the end of January last year which was a huge loss to the area. The hospital has a number of bedroom units and has only four single bed units.

For the past 25 years the issue of Bandon Community Hospital being extended to cater for an ever increasing and dependent population has been discussed and a sequence of events has followed. In 2004 the final draft of the proposal sent by the hospital was eventually agreed by the Southern Health Board and in 2005 and 2006 it was deemed a priority. In December 2006 a design for the extension was prepared and in May 2006, almost seven years ago, the allocation of the funds for the extension were granted to the HSE. In 2007-08 the design was finalised and planning permission was applied for to build the extension in June 2008. In December 2008, following a six months delay to facilitate an archaelogical dig as a condition of planning, Cork County Council granted planning permission for an extension to the hospital. In the same year the HSE was instructed that no new projects were to commence due, unfortunately, to a reduced allocation. In 2009-12 HIQA inspections continually cited to the HSE that the facility is not adequate for the service it provides. Given that HIQA inspections will not be getting any more lenient, I advise the Minister of State - I am glad has come to the House to reply this matter - that my concern is that this important community hospital for the town of Bandon will close.

In other words, there is a very strong case for the upgrading and extending of this hospital. I note from figures for the area and having regard to the population served by the hospital and HIQA standards, which provide that there should be 6.4 beds for every 1,000 persons over the age of 65, that this would mean that the hospital in Bandon would need to cater for 50 people. The current facility with the capacity to cater for 22 people is not appropriate.

I was delighted that the senior Minister, Deputy James Reilly, visited west Cork last Friday. He visited Bantry hospital and Schull, where I currently live, and he saw the tremendous work that was taking place there, much of which I was involved in over the years. I am aware that these things move slowly but if the proposed extension to Bandon Community Hospital is not addressed in the short term, I am deeply concerned that it may close. The closure of a significant private nursing home in this area recently presents a serious problem in terms of the provision of services. A serious problem is emerging due to the shortage of nursing home beds in the area in which I live and probably in many other areas of the country. I am referring to the private sector where there has been a decline in provision as we moved from the boom to the bust era.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator O'Donovan for raising this issue. It provides me with an opportunity to update the House on this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. As the Senator is aware, Government policy is to support older people to live in dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. Where this is not feasible, the health service supports access to appropriate quality long-term residential care, including the provision of financial assistance under the nursing homes support scheme. In 2012, with a budget of almost ¤1 billion, financial support was provided to more than 22,000 people in nursing homes.

The Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of health and personal social services, including those at facilities such as Bandon Community Hospital in Cork. Bandon Community Hospital, as the Senator well knows, was built in the 1930s and has been extended and refurbished over the intervening years. There are 22 beds at the hospital providing continuing, respite and palliative care. There is a very high level of demand for the hospital's services and other similar services in the area are in short supply. With an ageing population, as the Senator has pointed out, it is envisaged that the demand for beds at the hospital will continue to grow. During the past five years approximately ¤300,000 capital funding has been spent on refurbishments at the hospital. An additional ¤74,000 was spent on fire safety measures and the hospital received a fire safety certificate of compliance in 2012. The Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, is pleased to say that the hospital has been confirmed as meeting relevant HIQA standards for three years with effect from 28 June 2012.

Current constraints on public sector staffing and recruitment, the ongoing need to meet service and safety standards, and severe financial constraints all pose challenges for community nursing units across the country. The Department of Health is working closely with the HSE to develop an overall plan which will seek to protect the viability of as many units as possible within the funding and staffing resources that are available. The future of Bandon Community Hospital will be considered in this context. All options will be considered to deliver an optimal outcome for those who need these services, and this will include service consolidation, skill mix considerations, and a review of work practices. All developments must be addressed in light of the current economic and budgetary pressures and any decisions taken by the HSE must, unfortunately, be planned against the realities of these constraints. Every effort will be made to ensure that the highest standards of care will continue to be provided to all residents in a safe and secure environment, and that we meet the needs of those who need our services in the very best way possible.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming into the House and giving me this response. He has been frank and, unfortunately, the future of hospital is somewhat on a wing and a prayer, while accepting that HIQA has given it a three-year lease of life, so to speak. Due to the growing elderly population in the area and the ongoing deferment, due to lack of finance or otherwise, of the purported extension which has been planned for many years, I am deeply concerned that there is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the future of this important hospital for Bandon town and its hinterland. I do not expect the Minister of State to say anything further but I want to put on the record that I am deeply concerned that this hospital may be forced to close and, if it does, it will be a huge loss to the community of Bandon and its hinterland.