Address by Mr Michael Ahern, T.D., and Minister for Trade and Commerce

At the Official Opening of St Joseph's Hospital, Mount Desert

on Monday 23^rd June 2003

It gives me great pleasure to be here with you at the official opening of this €15 million state-of-the-art healthcare facility. I wish to extend my thanks to the Bon Secours Sisters for the invitation to attend and give this address.

I am well aware of the tradition of care by the Bon Secours Sisters at Mount Desert, starting with Tuberculosis patients in the 1930s. Following this, the original hospital was used as a facility for the care of older people.

St. Joseph's Hospital and `Cedar Lodge', a complex of apartments for independent living, are the first stages of the development at the Bons Secours Care Village.

As you may be aware the Hospital provides modern facilities for the care of older people, convalescent care and respite care. In fact, the idea behind the Bon Secours Care Village is to provide a continuum of care from independent living to intermediate and long-term care, and this is to be welcomed.

As the population of older people here in Ireland rises, there is an increasing acceptance that older people have been instrumental in building and strengthening the Irish State to the benefit of all of us. The present Government acknowledges their contribution to society and is fully committed to improving all aspects of the lives of older people by focusing on issues that affect their well-being including health.

The policy of the Department of Health and Children is to maintain older people in dignity and independence at home in accordance with their wishes, with the support of the community care services, where necessary. Where this is no longer a viable option, it is vital to ensure that that older people have access to the type of facilities provided here at St Joseph's Hospital. This new facility, which has 44 single and double en-suite rooms, each equipped with Nurse Call system, TV and phone points will undoubtedly enhance the lives of its residents.

In recent years, health and social services for older people have been improved, both in the acute hospital and community settings. Funding, both capital and revenue, has been substantially increased in respect of services for older people. Between 1997 and 2003 additional funding of approximately €284m has been provided for the development of services for older people.

The funding base for services for older people is now, therefore, at a very substantial level with a dedicated budget line within the Department of Health and Children and the health boards for services for older people. Much, however, remains to be done if we are to meet emerging needs and this is the challenge which faces all of us.

Under the National Development Plan over €253 million in capital funding has been provided to services for older people in the period 2000-2006 inclusive. On a national basis this has to date enabled the planning and development of a comprehensive infrastructure of community nursing units and day-care facilities as well as the refurbishment of existing extended-care facilities and the replacement of old accommodation. Older people deserve first class facilities and we intend to provide such facilities in appropriate locations.

The present Government is fully committed to encouraging co-operation in a spirit of partnership between the public and private health sectors, voluntary organisations and local communities. The voluntary sector plays a vital role in the development and provision of health care and social services. It is more important than ever to combine the respective efforts of the voluntary and statutory sectors with a view to developing services to meet the challenges of the future, in an efficient and effective manner and in an atmosphere of mutual support and understanding.

The work that the people involved with St. Joseph's do results in practical benefits on the ground for those who need such services.

St Joseph's Hospital is to be congratulated for improving the needs of older people and I wish to express my congratulations to all those involved.

Thank you all for your warm welcome here today. All that is left for me to do now is to declare this new facility open.

ENDS