Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

Highly reputable nursing home owners who wish to care for their patients are extremely concerned that if the standards are not in place when the fair deal starts they may not have patients sent to them by the National Treatment Purchase Fund because they may not be the cheapest. They may have more nurses employed per patient and better standards in other ways than those who see it purely as a business. This is the most significant concern but not the only one with regard to the system being established before the standards are in place. I am concerned that the nursing home with the cheapest price is what the National Treatment Purchase Fund will choose. In the absence of standards, the cheapest price may not mean a good nursing home for patients.

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