Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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136. To ask the Minister for Health if he remains satisfied regarding the availability of adequate nursing home beds in the public and private sector, with a view to the alleviation of overcrowding at accident and emergency in general hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8450/15]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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137. To ask the Minister for Health if he expects to make provision for peak requirements, in respect of step-down beds, in sufficient numbers to alleviate and strategically address the incidents of overcrowding, at accident and emergency facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8451/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 137 together.

A substantial proportion of our acute beds are occupied by people who no longer require acute care. In order to meet this challenge a wide-ranging set of measures have been put in place. The Government provided additional funding of €3m last December and €25m in Budget 2015 to address delayed discharges. This funding is being targeted at hospital and community services to address specific needs of delayed discharge patients. The funding will support

- 300 extra people under the Nursing Home Support Scheme.

- 50 additional transitional care beds allocated to the Dublin Hospitals on a named patient basis which will be recycled to the hospitals when available.

- 65 beds to be brought on stream on a phased basis, during 2015 at Mount Carmel Hospital.

- 400 extra Home Care Packages to benefit 600 people in the course of the year.

- The expansion of the community intervention team services in primary care.

Increased levels of activity being experienced in acute hospitals since the beginning of January 2015, driven by presentations of older people with chronic disease and the ongoing high level of delayed discharge experienced by the hospitals have led to further measures being required. These include the funding of 900 transitional care beds in private nursing homes (500 in January, and a further 400 in February), as a short-term measure to assist in the discharge of patients from acute hospitals, and 173 short-stay public beds being opened across the country for a three month period.