Nursing Homes
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-09
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Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (FG), Dún Laoghaire

I agree with Deputy Sherlock. I recall speaking with one of the hospital managers where this is a most acute issue with regard to what is going on, what the experience is and what conversations are happening. Again, there is a question of dementia and advanced decision-making. Some of these issues are very complex and that is its own bundle. As Deputy Sherlock said, there is also the need to access nursing homes and public nursing home support. Within this, it is important to say we will not be able to facilitate every request for every patient to be in the exact location they need to be. There are some questions. I do not wish to overstate it or amplify it but I am saying we will be able to provide supports but we will not be able to provide the perfect support for every person either. A measure of flexibility will have to come into that too.
There are also cases, and again it is hospital managers describing this to me, where families do not want to have a particular outcome and the hospital needs to move the patient, who is no longer an acute model 4 hospital patient but requires a different type of care.
It is important that everybody understands that model 4 beds are for the most acutely unwell and people cannot stay.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:07+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-09