Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)

I take this Adjournment matter of behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. I thank the Deputy for raising the question as it provides me with an opportunity to outline to the House the current situation.

The Department made inquiries of the Health Service Executive regarding the issue raised by the Deputy. The HSE informed the Department that there are no vacant beds in the nursing unit to which the Deputy refers and that the facility in question has a waiting list of 25 people at present. I have been further informed that the patient is receiving care in another HSE community nursing unit which is approximately 28 miles from the patient's home. The HSE recognises that the patient's family has difficulty in visiting him at that facility and has offered to provide a private nursing home bed in a facility approximately ten miles from the patient's family home. To date the patient's family have not accepted this offer. The HSE has met the patient's family in the past and is happy to do so again to review the matter.

It is worthwhile to point out that a working group chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and comprising senior officials from the Departments of Finance, Health and Children and Social and Family Affairs has been established following on from the publication of the Mercer report on the future financing of long-term care in Ireland. The objective of this group is to identify the policy options for a financially sustainable system of long-term care, taking account of the Mercer report, the views of the consultation that was undertaken for that report and the review of the nursing home subvention scheme by Professor Eamon O'Shea. This group has been requested to report to both the Tánaiste and the Minister for Social and Family Affairs. I understand this report is due shortly. Following this process it is the intention that there will be discussions with relevant interest groups in regard to the proposals for the future financing of long-term care.

The Department of Health and Children is reviewing the operation of the nursing home subvention scheme and the legislation and regulations underpinning it. It is intended to bring legislation to Government in this regard later this year. Part of reviewing the subvention system will be to update the thresholds contained in the 1993 nursing home regulations, which have not been updated since being set in 1993 and which warrant updating given the rising cost of living and property in the past 12 years.

The Department is also undertaking a comprehensive review of eligibility for services generally, including services for older persons and related legislation. This is the first major review in this area since the passing of the 1970 Health Act.

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