Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which he has carried out an evaluation of the various public nursing homes throughout the country with a view to ensuring the retention of the maximum number of such facilities to meet current and future requirements in the public health sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57321/12]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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There are at present 129 public units providing residential care (long-term and short-term) for older people in Ireland. The Health Service Executive has recently completed a review of each of these units. The review has focused on a number of areas including each unit’s ability to meet the Health Information and Quality Authority standards in terms of staffing availability; environmental matters such as the age & structure of the home; and factors including location and stock.

The review will provide a basis for discussions between the Department and the HSE with a view to developing an overall set of proposals for the future delivery of residential care to my colleague Minister Reilly.