Dept working with HSE to open hospice later this year, Dáil told

The Department of Health is working with the HSE to bring four new hospice beds on stream in Athlone later this year, the Dáil was recently told. The comments came from Minister of State Áine Brady in the context of a question on the progress on the roll-out of the palliative care programme from opposition Deputy Dr James Reilly. Construction work on the new hospice building in the grounds of St Vincent's Hospital, Athlone is now complete and a fit-out of the premises is underway, however, question marks remain over when it will open as funding for staff has not yet been sanctioned by the Health Service Executive. Junior Minister Brady told the house that additional in-patient palliative care beds have been opened in the past few years in existing hospices including six in Blackrock, an additional ten beds opened in Milford Hospice and four additional beds in Galway in 2008. The Department is also working with the HSE to open four beds in Athlone hospice later this year, she added. The Dáil also heard that overall spending on palliative care by the HSE in 2008 was €78 million. Last year 2,655 people were treated in specialist in-patient palliative care units, while 7,575 people received home based specialist care. Another 729 people received intermediate palliative care and a further 1,865 received day care services.