Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the question. The Department of Health acknowledges that there are variations in the cost of care across community hospitals and private nursing homes, with public community units generally having a higher cost of care. The HSE will always step in where a resident's needs are sufficiently complex that they are not able to be cared for anywhere else in the community. The HSE needs to be staffed to deliver that kind of complex care. I have put in place a €10 million scheme to cover 75% of energy costs from 1 July this year up to 31 December. Each nursing home can claim up to €31,500. Some €70 million in free PPE and oxygen has been provided over the last two years while €145 million of financial supports through temporary assistance payments has also been provided. Residents in HSE-run community nursing units, CNUs, which are often staffed at a level that allows the delivery of more complex care, represent less than 20% of those on the fair deal scheme. Last year, 4,500 residents were in these public CNUs.

See this speech in context