HSE to cut 100 beds a month

Some 630 private beds are to be cut from the Fair Deal nursing home scheme over the coming months, the Health Service Executive has said.

The cutback will raise €13 million for a new “intermediate care” service aimed at elderly patients experiencing delays in discharge from acute hospitals.

Some 130 private nursing home beds were removed from the system last month, according to a HSE report, published yesterday. And 100 will be removed each month from April to August.

This will reduce the number of additional planned private beds for 2012 from more than 2,800 to just over 2,200.

The Fair Deal scheme was established in October 2009 by then minister for health Mary Harney.