‘Real demand-capacity gap’ in dementia places ‘overwhelming reason’ for delayed discharges at SWAH and Altnagelvin

The Western Trust Chief Executive was asked by Liz Kimmins, the Stormont Health Committee chair to address issues around delayed discharges from local hospitals.

Ms. Kimmins asked if a lack of domiciliary care packages was a problem.

"I have to acknowledge, certainly, in the southern sector of the Western Trust, it isn't so much domiciliary care, it is more dementia places.

"There is a real reduction, a real demand-capacity gap in the number of places available for people who need dementia care and that is our overwhelming reason for people being delayed at the SWAH and Altnagelvin and there is a fundamental gap across Northern Ireland in that,” said Mr. Guckian.

The Trust boss identified the lack of a premium for dementia care places in comparison to nursing care places as one of the reasons it was difficult to attract care home providers to provide beds and care.

“There are underlying reason for that, one being that the tariff for nursing homes is the same as for dementia as it is for general nursing. So clearly we are not going to entice new entrants into the market place when that is the case.

"We are paying more than tariff across the board anyway so we need to look at. That is something we recognise as a regional piece of work. We can expand that market place because it is really, really important,” he declared.

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