30 November 2006
Dr. Henry: I thank Professor O'Neill for the clarity of his presentation and the work that went into the report. I wish to take up a point made by Deputy Gormley about the commercial side of all this. There has been a great change in the system of nursing home care in the Dublin area such that 75% is private and 25%, public. While some nursing homes were established by altruistic individuals and some by organisations which already had an input, the great tax breaks available were such that a considerable number set up nursing homes like those in America. I once had to deal with private nursing homes in Florida and, unfortunately, they were most undesirable institutions. I am glad to hear they are changing. Those who established nursing homes did not realise how expensive they would be to run. Nursing homes are being asked to take people whom they are incapable of minding for €634 per week. It is utterly impossible. It is not that the public institutions are not being too flaithiúlach in the way they are spending money but that not enough is being invested in the care of high dependency residents.
When I read the Leas Cross report, I felt everything centred on the contract with St. Ita's. The institution agreed to take 24 high dependency patients. It certainly could not care for them for €634 per week each. Should we change completely the way in which we rely on private nursing homes for high dependency residents, particularly those with an intellectual disability and mental illness, as Deputy Connolly stated? The slide indicated that those with neurological problems presented the main problem. I do not understand how private nursing homes, unless staffed to the same level as public nursing homes, can manage with such residents.
I was interested to hear that senior nurses had refused 75% of patients from acute hospitals. This figure is considerable. No wonder we have such a problem. We will have to re-examine totally the configuration according to which high dependency patients are admitted because a considerable number of private nursing homes expect to make money. Some individuals have several nursing homes and one cannot make money out of seriously ill people.
Reference was made to the provision of assistance in nursing homes and immigrant workers. It is essential that they have English to an adequate level. People have told me that neither they, their siblings nor mothers could understand the staff looking after patients. This is unfair on the care worker and extraordinarily unfair on an old person who may have a serious illness.
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