HSE must replace half of long-stay nursing home beds to meet standards

MORE than half of all long-stay residential nursing home beds will have to be replaced by 2015 because they do not meet new care standards for elderly people.

A senior health service official has confirmed that due to the recent publication of the Health Information and Quality Authority’s nursing home standards — which will ensure improvements in residential care for elderly people — the HSE will need to replace up to half of its 10,000 public long-stay beds if they are to meet the new criteria.

Irish Medical News has reported that during a recent meeting of the HSE south regional health forum, assistant national director of continuing care, Pat Healy, explained that beds in a series of units across the country will need to be replaced within the next six years. The locations include Kerry, Cork, Dublin, Galway and Limerick.