Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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157. To ask the Minister for Health to provide an update on the operation of a community hospital Cobh Community Hospital, Aileen Terrace, Cobh, County Cork; the engagement she has had to date with hospital management regarding funding and service provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64357/25]

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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Cobh Community Hospital is a voluntary organisation that provides invaluable services to older people in Cobh and surrounding areas.

An independent review of financial and operational service provision within Cobh Community Hospital was completed in June 2022. Following the review, the HSE met with the Board of Directors of Cobh Hospital to discuss the recommendations. The HSE set out to the board the limitations that exist around the funding allocation for the hospital and the Fair Deal Funding Scheme. The HSE engaged in very positive discussions around supporting Cobh Hospital to transition over a phased period of time to deliver much needed short-stay capacity within Cobh and the wider community health networks in East Cork.

The board of directors in Cobh Hospital agreed to progress a business proposal to transition from a 41 long-stay and 3 short-stay bed hospital to a 22 long-stay and 22 short-stay bed hospital. This business proposal was accepted by the HSE, and this transition has now successfully taken place.

Cobh Community Hospital currently has 44 beds in total comprising 22 long-stay beds and 22 short-stay beds. 16 of the short-stay beds are utilised for Respite and 6 are for Delayed Transfer of Care (DTOC) Support/Convalescence.

The 16 Respite beds are filled from requests to the Public Health Nursing service and occupancy is consistently high as the admissions are planned in advance to facilitate carers and families. The 6 beds for DTOC Support/Convalescence are used to support the discharge of patients who no longer require acute care from the hospitals in Cork city.

The 22-long stay beds in Cobh Community Hospital are funded under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), and the 22 short-stay beds are funded through by HSE Section 39 Service Level Agreements. From 1st December 2024, the NTPF/Fair Deal rate for Cobh increased to €1,320 per week. The HSE are currently providing a total of €2.18m per annum (Section 39) based on 22 short-stay beds being fully available.