Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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368. To ask the Minister for Health the distribution of funds for the emergency department task force; the allocation provided to each public hospital and public residential home; the number of additional beds sustained in each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41282/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Government committed an additional €25m in Budget 2015 to address delayed discharges. Of this:

-€10m was allocated to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS) to provide an additional 300 places;

-€8m was allocated for the provision of 50 additional short-stay beds, in addition to the establishment and commissioning of Mount Carmel as a short-stay facility for the Dublin area;

-€5m was allocated for an additional 400 Home Care Packages;

-€2m was allocated to strengthen community intervention teams.

In a further initiative earlier this year, the Government approved additional funding of €74m, of which €44m was allocated to the NHSS to provide an additional 1,600 places and reduce the waiting time for approved applicants from a high of 11 weeks to 2-4 weeks. It is intended to maintain this at a maximum of 4 weeks. €30m was used to provide additional transitional care beds (temporary contract beds) through June and additional community, convalescence and district hospital beds on a permanent basis.

In relation to the Deputies query regarding allocation of funding to each public hospital and public residential home and the number of additional beds sustained in each, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly as this is a service matter. If he has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.