Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 331: To ask the Minister for Health and Children, further to Parliamentary Question No. 370 of 12 April 2011, if he will outline his plans for community and district hospitals; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that his proposed hospital funding model will damage the network of community and district hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8516/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to implementing a comprehensive programme of health reform. The aim of this reform process is to deliver a single-tier health service that will deliver equal access to care based on need, not income. The detailed implementation arrangements will be subject to careful examination and I intend to consult widely throughout this process. The Government has set clear goals for the health service, namely:

a universal health care system with access based upon need,

more care delivered locally through strengthened primary care, and

greater transparency and incentives regarding performance.

In the meantime, the Nursing Homes Support Scheme model of funding (where money follows the patient) will continue to apply to the Community and District Hospitals that are designated by the HSE as facilities predominantly for the care of older people. The future of these, and other hospitals, will be considered and planned for within the context of the overall reforms currently being contemplated.