Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Health if he has made a budgetary allocation for the provision of 30 step-down beds in the Cottage Hospital in Drogheda, County Louth [46394/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Additional funding for the provision of 36 Transitional Care beds to the Louth Meath Integrated Service area was recently approved by my Department as part of the Frail Elderly Initiative. This initiative is funded by the Department through the Special Delivery Unit. These new Transitional Care beds will support the development of community based services for older persons and improve acute hospital services in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.

The HSE are currently spot purchasing up to 36 beds in a number of provider units. No funding has as yet been specifically targeted to the Cottage Hospital. As part of the option appraisal for the Cottage hospital, a proposal has been made to re-configure the long term care beds in the Cottage to Transitional Care beds. A public consultation process is currently underway and the spot purchasing will continue pending the outcome of that process.