Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 76: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on the fact that 756 beds in acute hospitals are inappropriately occupied by patients awaiting post-acute step-down, rehabilitative or long-term care; if one of the main reasons these patients are inappropriately placed is due to home care packages being frozen in certain parts of the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42506/08]

Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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The HSE will provide about 4,600 home care packages in 2008, benefiting some 11,500 people. About 8,700 people are in receipt of home care packages at any one time. Home care packages are a relatively new and innovative development and the number of packages has increased very substantially since 2005. Despite this, the demand for home care packages can still exceed the number of packages that can be provided. As with other services, the HSE has to manage the provision of home care packages within the resources available and other competing service demands. A recent HSE analysis of the delays in patients being discharged from acute hospitals showed that 8 patients were on a waiting list for a home care package and a further 35 patients were having their application for a home care package processed.