Cork University Hospital winter plan
Pat Buckley asked when Cork University Hospital would get resources to implement its winter plan. The Minister said €26 million had already been provided for winter planning and told hospital management to use existing channels to get the plan moving.
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Comment on this
Cork University Hospital has brought forward a winter plan, but up to this point it has received no additional resources or funding from the HSE. Will the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, indicate when funding and additional resources will be made available to enable the hospital to implement its plan?
Comment on this
As Minister for Health, I have a job to do in providing resources. Those who are paid to manage hospitals have a job to do also. The HSE was given €26 million more by the House and the Government for the winter plan. I suggest the general manager of CUH contact the hospital group director to have this matter addressed. As I said, €26 million in additional funding has been provided to provide more beds, more homecare and transitional care services. Management need to get on with it.
Comment on this
My question is to the Minister for Health. On the waiting list for the nursing home support scheme, I acknowledge that some work has been done, but the numbers fluctuated wildly in September. On 17 September there were 525 on the waiting list. On 30 September, that number had increased to 686, an increase of 30%. The Minister will be aware that 745 people are awaiting discharge from hospital. It is a vicious cycle. Quicker access to the fair deal scheme would free up additional capacity in hospitals. What action does the Minister propose to take to deal with this matter?
Comment on this
I thank the Deputy for her important question. We have provided sufficient funding to keep the waiting period for the fair deal scheme at four weeks from now until the end of the year. We are beginning to see a fall in the number of delayed discharges, admittedly from a high base. As I said to Deputy Buckley, the HSE has been given an additional €26 million to engage in winter planning between now and the end of the year, which should mean more homecare packages, more transitional care services and more fair deal scheme places. I will arrange for a specific note on fair deal scheme numbers to be forwarded to the Deputy.