Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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1138. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider extending the number of hospitals offering exercise rehabilitation as per proposal by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Ireland as patients with serious lung conditions would benefit greatly from supervised exercise in our hospitals; if he will take into consideration that 440,000 patients have this lung condition and the very real difference supervised exercise will have on their health and well being; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46362/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The exercise programme referred to forms part of a structured Pulmonary Rehabilitation programme. The HSE COPD Clinical Care Programme published a Model of Care for Pulmonary Rehabilitation services in 2010. Health policy in Ireland is committed to service reform that is moving service provision away from the current hospital centric model of care towards a new model of integrated care which treats people at the lowest level of complexity and is as close to home as possible. Depending on their disease trajectory most patients are suitable to avail of community services at some stage in their illness, and therefore pulmonary rehabilitation is being provided by community as well as acute services. In order to improve access to pulmonary rehabilitation programmes the HSE has in recent years included targets in its service plans for both settings.

In 2012 the annual target was for 25 % of centres, regardless of the setting (acute hospitals and community areas combined), to have access to pulmonary rehabilitation. It was reported in June of that year that 56% of centres provided a service.

In 2013 the target was changed from combined to individual services; 25 acute hospitals and 20 local health areas were required to provide access. Recent reports indicate that currently 25 acute hospitals and 15 local health areas are providing access.

For 2014 an increased target of 28 hospitals and 25 local health areas has been proposed.