I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on this issue. It is important to acknowledge the contribution made by Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital to community health facilities in the south east of Dublin, particularly in Dublin 2, where people from the local community were able to visit their relatives who were unwell. Any family members I have talked to have spoken very highly of the community care at Sir Patrick Dun's. They use words such as "caring", "pleasant" and "helpful". At a time when we are all giving out about the health services, it is important to acknowledge that much good work is being carried out. The staff in Sir Patrick Dun's are of the highest quality.

The building is an old one and it was inevitable that at some point it would no longer be feasible to keep people in that setting. A new structure was built in Vergemount, which is very welcome. A building has only a certain lifespan, and with people expecting — rightly — higher standards of safety, the old building just did not measure up any more. Thus, the decision was made to transfer the patients to Vergemount between now and November.

My concern is that we must ensure the transfer of patients is done with much consultation with their families, who are anxious about the move. Their first choice would have been for their relatives to stay in Sir Patrick Dun's; however, they realise it is a better option to move to Vergemount. It is important that the families are supported during the transfer process. For example, one 83-year-old lady is visited by her 87-year-old sister every day, but this may not be possible after the transfer. It makes things much more difficult. There should be some sort of mechanism under which visits are facilitated and the visiting families are supported.

What is the future of Sir Patrick Dun's hospital? People are concerned about what will happen. Ideally, it would become a health care facility of some sort, such as a counselling centre. It is a great asset and I would hate to lose it to the private sector. It is important that it is kept within the health service as a provider of health care in the community. On a related note, I welcome the commitment of the Minister for Health and Children not to sell St. Luke's Hospital in Rathgar, because that too is a wonderful facility. It is important that we keep such facilities in the health infrastructure for the community.

I ask the Minister to ensure there is consultation with the families on an ongoing basis and, if there is an option to keep a patient close to the Dublin 2 area, that this be facilitated.

I am responding to this Adjournment matter on behalf of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney.

The overarching policy of the Government is to support older people in living with dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible and to support access to quality long-term residential care where appropriate. It should be noted in the context of the issue raised by the Deputy that the HSE has operational responsibility for the delivery of health and social services, including details regarding transfer arrangements and consultation at facilities such as Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital.

Services for older people provided at the hospital in recent times include long-stay, respite and day care. There are currently 16 long-stay residents at Sir Patrick Dun's and eight beds that are used for respite or short-stay patients. In addition, between 13 and 17 clients attend day care on any given day.

The Deputy will appreciate that all developments regarding older people, including long-stay residential and day care services at individual centres such as Sir Patrick Dun's, must be addressed in the light of the current economic and budgetary pressures. The HSE has been asked to make a rigorous examination of how existing funding might be reconfigured or reallocated to ensure maximum service provision is achieved. This requires stringent ongoing review of the application of the resources currently available. The HSE recognises the challenges ahead in meeting the increased volume and complexity of needs for our ageing population, while also attempting to address the demand for integrated, co-ordinated and appropriate services within the overall health and personal social services system.

The executive considers that the long-stay unit in Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital will not meet the current HIQA standards. There are also health and safety issues at the hospital. In addition, the building is the subject of a preservation order, and it would be very costly to carry out the structural works to meet the standards now in force. The problems experienced in Sir Patrick Dun's are being addressed by the HSE in the context of the new 100-bed unit that has recently been built on the Clonskeagh campus. This modern facility is currently being fitted out for equipment. The overall capital cost of this development is in the region of €16 million. The vast majority of rooms at the new unit will be single en-suite. Other facilities include fully equipped occupational therapy and physiotherapy rooms with a large day area. In addition it will be surrounded by landscaped gardens with access for residents and their families.

The HSE intends to move both the residential and day care services from Sir Patrick Dun's to the new unit in Clonskeagh where it will be able to provide services that will meet the standards, as laid down by HIQA and health and safety. The relocation will provide a higher quality of service to the residents. The present position is that the executive has applied for registration of the new unit, as required under the new registration and inspection regime of all nursing homes which commenced last year. It is currently waiting for HIQA to inspect the unit.

The HSE is strongly committed to a meaningful consultation process between Sir Patrick Dun's and the residents and their families. The executive held an information meeting on Thursday, 17 June, with staff, residents and relatives. It informed the meeting that it proposed to accommodate all the residents together, on one floor, with the staff from Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital at Clonskeagh. At the meeting it was agreed that residents, together with family members, could volunteer to participate as part of working groups to identify general ongoing issues pertinent to all. It was also recommended that any individual issue be brought to the attention of the director of nursing and the hospital manager, so that these also could be specifically followed up. It is envisaged that these groups will be meeting on a regular basis to give information pertinent to the move. As yet, there is no date for the closure of the long-stay unit. However, the executive has indicated that this may take place in October 2010, subject to ongoing review. This will depend to a large extent on inspection and approval from HIQA for the new Clonskeagh unit. I wish to reassure the House that all the residents and their families, in consultation with the HSE, will be relocated to a better and safer facility which is purpose-built to cater for their future health and well-being.