Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Health whether any audit has been conducted to establish (i) the number of wards; and (ii) the number of bays, not in use that could be utilised for step-down or respite care, in each Health and Social Care Trust.
Minister of Health: Acute hospitals frequently utilise uncommissioned or unfunded wards and bays as acute escalation spaces to manage periods of sustained pressure and to maintain patient flow. On any given day, up to approximately 250 additional escalation beds may be operational across the acute sector for this purpose.
Given this operational context, these areas are not suitable for conversion to stepdown or respite provision. Doing so would not be appropriate, nor would it represent value for money.
Stepdown and stepup care is instead delivered through BedBased Intermediate Care within community settings. This service provides assessment and rehabilitative intervention for individuals who require support in a bedbased environment, including:
Acute hospitals
Community hospitals
Residential or nursing care homes
Standalone intermediate care facilities
Independent sector or local authority facilities
The purpose of BedBased Intermediate Care is to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, avoid premature admission to long-term care, and support timely discharge from acute settings. Across Northern Ireland, there are currently 744 designated Intermediate Care beds located across 45 facilities.
Any proposal to open additional beds for stepdown or respite care would require significant additional investment in medical, nursing, social work, and AHP staffing. A dedicated funding source would also be required.
ENDS
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