Respite care after hospital stay to be victim of latest HSE cutbacks

Date Published: 13-Aug-2009

THERE will be a major cutback this year in the number of people who can avail of a twoweek stay in a nursing home free of charge following a period in hospital in galway.

The HSE spent €1.8m. last year in providing the temporary respite care for patients leaving both Merlin park hospital and UHG. however, this sum is to be cut down to €1.1m in 2009, a 39% reduction in expenditure on the scheme which is known as the ‘winter initiative’.

The Chairman of the HSE forum in the western counties, Councillor Padraig Conneely, has described the move as “budgets being put before the wellbeing of patients”.

“We must remember that the people we are talking about here have been ill and that many are in the older generation. I am afraid many people are going to suffer as a result of this cutback.”

He has found out from the HSE FIest that the cutback will mean a 16% reduction in the number of Nursing home ‘bed days’ allocated for temporary respite care in galway this year.

“Added to that it has also come to light that…