There is no question of older people being discharged prematurely from acute hospital care, the Minister of State responsible for services for older people said yesterday. Dr Tom Moffatt was replying to an opinion piece in yesterday's Irish Times which was critical of plans to move some patients from general hospitals into "step-down" facilities such as nursing homes.
The article quoted Dr Des O'Neill, consultant geriatrician at Tallaght Hospital, and the Irish Medical Organisation's consultants' committee, who described the plan as ageist.
The statement said that as part of the "winter initiative" of the Minister for Health, funding to pay for 500 nursing home beds for hospital patients had been provided to the health boards.
"While the Minister does not consider it appropriate to comment on individual cases, he would like to emphasise that the needs of patients covered by the winter initiative will be determined by the appropriate consultant medical team and, consequently, there is no question of older people being discharged prematurely . . . " Dr Moffat "accepts the points made by the IMO consultants' committee concerning the need to develop further assessment and rehabilitation services". These would be provided under the National Development Plan.