Hospital overcrowding: 700 nursing home beds available

There are over 700 beds available if the HSE wants to discharge elderly patients from acute hospitals into nursing home beds.

Nursing Homes Ireland said these beds are available in up to 176 homes and that 190 more homes could have available places.

The NHI CEO, Tadhg Daly, said: “The nursing home sector has a key role to play in alleviating the current overcrowding crisis within our acute hospitals. Only last week, Minister for Health Simon Harris heralded 436 patients classified as delayed discharged in acute hospitals as being a new low and representing huge progress.