There is a need for the health service to reduce the number of people admitted to hospital, particularly from nursing homes, Fine Gael Senator Colm Burke told the Seanad.

Mr Burke called for the provision of more community intervention teams, to deliver services to nursing home residents and people living in their own homes.

The Senator said that as it stands nursing home residents had to go into hospital to see a dietician, because HSE dieticians were not available to them.

“More intervention at local community level would mean fewer people would have to go into hospital or attend outpatient clinics,” Mr Burke said.

“That approach is especially important in cases where a number of people are gathered, as in nursing homes.”

Hospital attendance

Minister of State Joe McHugh said patients should not have to attend hospital unnecessarily, with all the added stresses and possible complications that could be involved.

Mr McHugh said as part of the phased implementation of the principles outlined in the primary care strategy, a number of national priorities had been set for the development of community-based services.

Mr McHugh said that one of those priorities was the development of community intervention teams, to reduce hospital attendances and admissions and to facilitate early discharge from hospitals.

He said a community intervention team was nurse-led and provided a rapid and integrated response to a patient who became acutely ill and needed enhanced services or intervention for a short period of time.

Mr McHugh said that in 2014 more than 14,600 patients were treated by such teams.

At any one time to date, approximately 220 patients are being managed at their place of residence.

Mr McHugh said the community intervention team programme had met with representatives of Nursing Homes Ireland and was working with them to develop direct referral pathways for nursing home residents.