The Eastern Health Board is to spend £2.3 million this year in an effort to ease "bed blocking" by increasing numbers of elderly hospital patients.
Mr P.J. Fitzpatrick, chief executive of the EHB, told a board meeting last night that the money would be spent on transferring elderly patients from acute beds to more appropriate levels of care.
The allocation meant that 102 beds could be opened in four Dublin centres. It would also allow 30 extra places in private nursing homes and extra community ward teams.
Last year the Eastern Health Board spent £100 million on care services for the elderly, including £10 million in subvencons to 2,247 people in nursing homes.