Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak about the ten supported care homes in the south east. It is not often that I get to put the information on the record of the Dáil. There are ten supported care homes in community healthcare organisation, CHO, 5. These provide accommodation and support services to older people with low to medium dependency levels. They are not nursing homes and they will never fall under the fair deal scheme because they work with people who are free to come and go and who receive support in accordance with their low to medium dependency needs. The residents cannot be maintained independently at home but do not require 24-hour nursing home care. That is the difference.

The ten supported care homes across the south-east community healthcare area provide supported and-or assisted living accommodation for up to 236 people with low to medium dependency needs. It is well documented that these services are highly valued across the wider community, as the Deputy said, and within older person services in CHO 5. The supported care homes remain uniquely positioned in the region, with little to no comparable or equivalent services available to the older person population elsewhere in the country. There has always been, and continues to be, a strong and positive working relationship between the HSE, older person services in CHO 5 and the supported care homes, with ongoing support and engagement provided by the HSE in respect of financial, governance and operational management issues.

Two of the supported care homes are located in Waterford, namely, Holy Ghost Residential Home in Waterford city and St Carthage's House in Lismore, which provide 102 beds between then. Carlow has two homes, namely, St. Laserian's House in Bagenalstown and St. Fiacc's House in Graiguecullen, providing 36 beds. I recently visited both of those facilities with Deputy Murnane O'Connor. The other six homes, all in County Kilkenny, are: Prague House in Freshford; Mount Carmel Supported Care Home in Callan; St. Joseph's Supported Care Home in Kilmoganny; Rosedale Residential Home in Kilmacow; Gahan House in Graiguenamanagh; and O'Gorman Home in Ballyragget. Between them, these six facilities support 89 beds, with Rosedale also supporting own-door housing for older people.

Supported care homes are an integral part of each community, with local people working in and supporting the residents, many of whom they already know. Having visited many of these homes, the model is one I completely endorse. At a time of loneliness, rural isolation and, for many, bereavement, these homes are, as the Deputy said, a home from home. They support residents to live independently and to be free to come and go as they wish.

Due to a combination of factors, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the unprecedented rise in operational costs in the current economic climate, the supported care home sector is challenged like many other health service providers in regard to work force planning, increased staffing costs, staff recruitment and retention, and capital investments in premises to meet HIQA environmental requirements and improve infrastructure to meet residents' needs. Even though they are not nursing homes, they come under the HIQA regulations. I thank the voluntary boards of management of all ten care homes and the local communities for their help, support and fundraising.

On Monday of this week, I announced funding to support the ten care homes as part of the inflation fund of €81 million announced by the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly.

These homes received €99,251 between them to support them in meeting financial inflationary challenges in the context of energy costs for 2022. That was money for last year. I am pleased to announce that it is my intention that these ten supported care homes will also be able to avail of the temporary inflation payment scheme put in place to support private nursing homes with energy costs. Each home can claim up to €31,500, minus the amount received under the inflation fund, from July to December 2022. The details of this package for 2023 are being finalised.

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