Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler. The Government is conscious of the financial challenges faced by the nursing home sector, in particular inflationary cost increases. The Department of Health is bringing forward appropriate responses.

The Minister of State is aware that a number of nursing homes have closed this year. The closure of any nursing home reduces bed capacity and puts pressures on other local health and social care facilities, including acute hospitals. Ensuring the welfare and safety of residents is secured when a nursing home closes is the most important thing and work to alleviate the concerns of residents must continue. There is a legal requirement that providers must give at least six months' notice to HIQA if they intend to close. This provides residents, families and the public health authorities the appropriate time to respond efficiently.

As of 10 October, 16 nursing homes had closed, or had officially notified HIQA of their intention to close, since the start of 2022. Over the same period, four new nursing homes have opened. Gains in capacities this year have been effectively offset by the closures. However, the Minister of State understands more capacity is expected to come on stream before year-end. It is imperative that nursing homes manage potential cost pressures in line with regulatory and contractual responsibilities, maintaining the quality of care to the residents' lived experiences and comfort is not affected.

The Minister of State announced, prior to budget day, that her priority over the past weeks had been to secure additional funding for budget 2023 to ensure the continuation of all services to high standard. Long-term residential care will be supported through €47 million in additional funding for the nursing home support scheme to maintain services and manage inflationary increases.

The Government has provided substantial supports to the private and voluntary nursing sector over the course of the pandemic. As the Deputy is aware, the Covid-19 temporary assistance payment scheme, TAPS, has been in place since the start of the pandemic and over €144 million has been made available to date under the scheme. The scheme has now been extended to the end of 2022 and will be refocused on inflationary energy costs, while continuing to support nursing homes that experience Covid-19 outbreaks. Details have been finalised and these will be communicated in the coming days.

A €100 million inflationary fund in the Department of Health was announced in the budget, which is a once-off payment designed within the Department. It will be rolled out before year-end to nursing homes. In addition to TAPS, direct support has been provided by the HSE to private nursing homes in many areas, including the provision of PPE, serial testing and support with staffing. In response to the strategic workforce challenges in nursing homes and healthcare sectors, a cross-departmental strategic workforce advisory group has been established. The group has worked to a tight timeline and is currently finalising a report which will outline a set of recommendations for the consideration of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler.

In the time I have left, I wish to advise the Deputy that I will bring his conversation on what public patients are receiving compared to what private nursing homes, on average, receive to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. He spoke about his constituency. The average in my constituency for public nursing homes is €1,450, whereas the private providers are lucky to achieve €1,100. There is a clear disparity between what is received in the public and private sectors. To be very fair to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, that is why she secured €47 million in funding and will go back into negotiations.

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