Fears over HSE plans for speedy discharge of older patients from hospitals to nursing homes

A HSE memo proposes that older patients who are waiting in hospitals for a nursing home place will have to take the first option offered.

Hospital overcrowding would be better addressed by fixing systemic problems rather than focusing on moving older patients to unsuitable nursing homes, the Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) has said.

The association’s concerns are part of wider fears around changes proposed for the speedier discharge of older patients from hospitals to nursing homes.