A call for expressions of interest for the provision of facilities for the long-term care of elderly people has been launched, with Parliamentary Secretary for Active Aging Franco Mercieca citing the need of a more sensible policy in this regard.

At a press conference held outside the home for the elderly in Cospicua – which was itself built by the government but which is managed by the private sector – Dr Mercieca said that he wanted to avoid the management by crisis that characterised the previous government as far as providing the necessary beds and care to elderly patients was concerned.

He noted that presently, around 200 elderly patients are staying at Mater Dei Hospital and Karin Grech Hospital because of a lack of beds elsewhere, and that this came at a cost. Hosting a patient at Mater Dei costs approximately €200 per night: the daily cost at Karin Grech is around €140.

In contrast, the cost to care for a patient in a government home tends to range from €45-55, while a patient in a home run through a public-private partnership costs the government around €25-35 a night.

Dr Mercieca said that finding accommodation for the patients “stuck” at Mater Dei and Karin Grech alone would translate into savings of around €6 million a year.

No timeframes, costings or numbers have been included in the call for expressions of interest: Dr Mercieca said that this was because the government also aimed to plan for the years ahead. The call, he said, was issued in the wake of an analysis of the way additional beds for the elderly were being sourced in recent years.

The parliamentary secretary said that the private sector has already expressed interest in providing long-term care facilities, with proposals including public-private partnerships, the building of new homes on government land and the conversion of existing hotels.

The government, he said, will choose what is best for patients, at the best price.

At the press conference, Dr Mercieca also emphasised that the government has reviewed the way beds are allocated to patients.

The previous system involved an admission board which did not directly assess the patient, but which relied on the assessment of a social worker.

This, the parliamentary secretary said, has been done away with, in favour of a multi-disciplinary team, based at Karin Grech Hospital, which will seek to determine each patient’s needs.

Dr Mercieca also noted that the choice of residence will no longer be “at the mercy” of patients, even though they would still retain a say, to ensure that the most appropriate solution is provided to each patient.

The parliamentary secretary said that there had been a lot of pressure on certain residences in the past, citing the example of Saint Vincent de Paule Hospital, where beds cost roughly twice as much as other homes.

He pointed out that Saint Vincent de Paule was more suitable for patients who were highly dependent on others, and that as a result, other residences would be recommended to patients who were in much better health.