Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 9 March 2017

Public Accounts Committee

HSE's Patients' Private Property Accounts 2015
HSE Financial Statement 2015: Note 13 re Fair Deal Scheme
Health Repayments Scheme Donations Fund 2015

9:00 am

Mr. Tony O'Brien:

Not in terms of the regulatory standards. The only variation would be in regard to compliance with physical infrastructure. I think it is correct to put it this way. The public sector has been given longer to come into compliance having regard to the ability of the capital envelope to meet those costs. Whereas private nursing homes would already be compliant with physical infrastructure requirements. What there tends to be, and Mr. Healy can add to this, is differential requirements of many of the clients who are in some of the public sector long-term facilities whose health care needs are greater and is reflected in a different staffing mix which obviously affects cost as well.