Pat the Cope Gallagher has questioned the current Department of Health capital plan for upgrading of state-owned nursing homes, care units, community hospitals.
The Donegal Deputy added raised concern for the construction of the proposed Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Community Hospitals.
He said: “This weekend’s confirmation that the existing Capital Plan for nursing homes is some €300 million over budget and that does not count additional commitments given to add community hospitals such as St Joseph’s Community Hospital, Stranorlar, Lifford and Ramelton Community Hospital to the existing capital plan 2016 to 2021.
“Serious questions must now be answered by the government, and I am cognisant of the numerous answers to my different Dáil questions regarding the long-term futures of residential care units in the three Donegal community hospitals, when time and time again, no commitment was given on the record of the Dáil,” added Pat the Cope.
“This massive overspend within the HSE and the government’s budgets for nursing units and community hospitals could potentially have disastrous consequences for our nursing units and community hospitals within the county.
“The entire government nursing home strategy and care of the older person is now in tatters, with broken promises, the false announcement of funding by various government ministers, while at the same time their own budgets are burst.
“It is now becoming clearer that the entire strategy is grossly underfunded, and not alone can existing commitments not be met but other commitments granted to add other community hospitals to the programme are now in serious trouble,” stated Pat the Cope.
“It was with great shock that we discovered in January 2016, that the then Government proposed to downgrade St Joseph’s Hospital, Lifford and Ramelton Community Hospitals by removing certain services and the capacity for long stay accommodation, residential care and the dementia care unit from this respective community hospital,” added Pat the Cope.
“The real risk on the horizon for our community hospitals is the impending deadline of the derogated guidelines of HIQA, which means that all state-run community hospitals and care units must reach the full standards of HIQA by 2021, this runs concurrently with the existing capital plan of the HSE for community hospitals, which we now discover is grossly underfunded with massive overspends,” stated Pat the Cope.
“If community hospitals or nursing units cannot meet the full HIQA standards by 2021, then actions could be taken by HIQA to close remove certain services and close residential care units,” Gallagher said.
“Minister Daly is either in a state of denial or confusion, for as last month he visited Donegal making further promises in terms of our community hospitals while knowing full well his budget was blown.
“Minister Daly now attempts to claim the overspend is due to inflation, but the figure simply does not stack up, this is another National Children’s Hospital scenario all over again, budgets being blown due to lack of governance.
“The communities within Donegal deserve to know the full facts and the truth surrounding our community hospitals and nursing units.
“For far too long we have been taken for a ride on the government spin machine, we now deserve the truth surrounding what exactly is planned for all of our community hospitals currently operating within the county,” concluded Pat the Cope.
