Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 245: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if and when a respite or other bed is likely to be made available to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; if her attention has been drawn to the need to meet such patients' requirements in view of the overcrowding in general hospitals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21002/05]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, the Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply directly to the Deputy. The Tánaiste announced a ten point plan aimed at improving the delivery of accident and emergency services on the publication of the Estimates for 2005. Additional funding of €70 million has been made available to the Health Services Executive for these initiatives, which include measures to allow for the discharge of patients from acute beds to a more appropriate setting. Under this plan there are three specific proposals relating to services for older people: an additional 500 older people are to receive intermediate care for up to six weeks in the private sector; 100 high dependency patients are to be transferred from the acute hospitals to private nursing home care, and the home care package scheme is to expanded to support 500 additional older people who have been discharged from the acute hospital sector to their own homes.