Closed more than 750 continuous care beds in five years

According to the data provided to Lusa by ANCC, this year 264 beds and 72 other beds were closed but the institution reinforced other teams, especially those of integrated continuous care, which move to the home.

“ In my opinion, a bed that is closed is not replaceable by house support. They're different things. Normally, those who need to be hospitalized do not go home, they even go to hospitalization ", said the president of ANCC, José Bourdain, heard by the agency Lusa.

For the person responsible, the beds covered by the consolidation of the network, which close but the units strengthen the teams, for example, home care, “are beds that in practice close”.

“ I would risk saying that there are 264 [total closing] plus 72 [net consolidation], only this year. Since 2021-2022 we are talking about 749 plus 115”, he added.

The data also indicate that since January 15 beds have been reclassified (changed in typology). The ANCC also indicates that there are 55 unchecked beds, that is, there is no concrete information about them.

Of the information provided by the continued care network, ANNC has counted since 2021 almost 880 effectively closed, replaced by home care teams or reclassified.

“I find this very serious. They closed more beds in 2026, and we have not yet reached the end of September, than in the last three years,” said José Bourdain, who has been warning of the chronic underfunding of these institutions and will be received in the Presidency of the Republic today.

The person responsible adds that the annual updates of successive governments have not offset the cost increases of the institutions, especially with wages.

“There is a history of several years or frozen prices, or ridiculous price increases. The units reach a limit where they no longer hold and close the door ", lamented.

Remember that, at the beginning, the goal of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) was 5,500 beds, but then only 4,446 were launched: “Just at the beginning of the PRR there were 1,054 beds out,” he recalled.

Then – he added – about 400 beds advanced in the Central region, in the various typologies, and in the North 2,000 were approved, which in total represented about 50% of the initial targets.

In the region of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, according to the person responsible, 1,457 beds were approved, of which only a little more than 100 were advanced.

Asked about the impact of the PRR in this area, says that the new beds that have effectively advanced “do not compensate for those that have closed”: “Instead of improving, it has worsened”.

The ANCC data indicate that this year they effectively closed 264 beds, 72 closed but the home support teams were reinforced and 15 changed typology.

Last year 90 closed and 43 closed but the institutions strengthened the teams, especially in providing home care.

Data from bed closures in continued care provided by ANCC point to 88 in 2024, 87 in 2023 and 220 in 2021-2022.