Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

I thank the campaign for sharing footage of older people having to leave nursing homes due to the funding crisis. That footage is absolutely heartbreaking. The residents are incredibly emotional. The staff are heartbroken and the older person leaving is at a loss as to what is happening. The level of anger in the community is exceptional. I know of one 99-year-old man who may have to leave his home if this crisis is not fixed.

A woman who is in a secure dementia unit has been told by CareChoice that it can no longer provide the service after the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, sanctioned just €2.28 a day extra per resident to meet the cost of inflation. This has not happened all of a sudden. I have warned the Minister about this. Aontú raised this issue in the Dáil twice in the past two weeks with the Ministers of State, Deputies Butler and Rabbitte. It seems the Minister is, unfortunately, listening to the NTPF and is not listening to the families. Consequently, we have this situation where residents are in danger of being ejected or forced from their homes. That has to change. If it does not change, we will have a crisis of epic proportions happening to the people who least deserve it.

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