Beds available in Mayo 'to facilitate timely hospital discharges'

NURSING Homes Ireland has stated nursing homes in Mayo are positioned to facilitate timely discharges from acute hospitals of people back into the community and must be utilised, where appropriate.

A snapshot survey undertaken by NHI of bed availability within the county informed 14 beds were available within four nursing homes surveyed.

Replicated across the county, this would represent 30 beds being available within the 10 private and voluntary nursing homes in Co. Mayo.

Tadhg Daly, NHI CEO, emphasised nursing homes are dedicated, home-from-home healthcare settings that can meet care needs beyond long-term residential care, including respite, transitional, rehabilitative care.

He said: “Many people associate nursing home care with long-stay care but it is important to realise they fulfil an essential role in providing step-down care and supporting timely discharges from our acute hospitals back into the community.

“Last year over 700 persons per month were transitioned from our acute hospitals into nursing home care within their local communities.

“Approximately 60% of the hundreds of people who are clinically fit for discharge on a daily basis from hospitals, including Mayo University, are awaiting long-term nursing care, according to the HSE.

“Facilitating speedy discharge of these people into long-term nursing care, via nursing homes, will enable the HSE free-up beds within their acute hospitals and provide the person with a more appropriate setting to meet their health and social care needs.

“Nursing homes employ teams of healthcare professional, including nurses and carers, to provide person-focussed care within dedicated healthcare settings that focus upon providing a homely environment. They have the capacity and are primarily positioned to meet long and short-stay care needs of people from County Mayo and beyond who require timely discharge from our hospitals.”