More than 18,600 bed days were lost in hospitals around the country last month due to delayed discharges. New HSE figures showed that for the month of June, there were 599 cases in our hospitals.
The health authorities service plan for this year provides for 800,000 additional home-help hours.
Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Older People Mary Butler TD said: “Delayed discharges are discharges that did not take place even though a patient was well enough to be discharged from the hospital by their doctor.
In many cases, this is due to a lack of home help hours, home care packages or community-based respite support in nursing homes or rehabilitative centres.
“Recently I pointed out that the HSE was not meeting its target of providing home help to 53,000 people. The actual number receiving of home care is 52,382 - 618 fewer than the HSE commitment.
"This deficit is not too far removed from the number of delayed discharges in our hospitals.
“Similarly, if the levels of home help and support that we saw in the first five months of this year continue then we will come in some 400,000 hours short of what was promised by the HSE this year.
“It is essential that home help targets are met. Older people want to be in their own homes and not to be stuck in hospitals which are already facing serious overcrowding pressures”
