Madam, - In spite of the financial consequences of Wednesday's Supreme Court judgment, the Tánaiste and the Government should resist the temptation to cut back on services for the care of the elderly.
There is an extremely urgent need to increase capacity in long-term care, particularly in urban areas where many acute hospitals are paralysed by their inability to place patients in long-stay facilities. Parallel to this, there needs to be continued investment in acute and rehabilitation care and community services so that fewer patients are forced to choose residential care.
On a positive note, I hope the current controversy will stimulate an overdue public debate on the funding and provision of long-term care. - Yours, etc.,
Dr KEN MULPETER, Chair, Irish Society of Physicians in Geriatric Medicine, Letterkenny General Hospital, Co Donegal.