Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Section 11 extends the provisions contained in section 53A of the Health Act 1970, which currently apply to certain persons in acute hospitals, to certain persons in public nursing homes. It provides that persons residing in public nursing homes may be charged based on the average cost of long-term care in such homes in situations where they do not co-operate with the application process relating to the nursing home support scheme when long-term residential care becomes appropriate to meet their needs. This section relates to the residential support service, which is being introduced under section 19 and with which we will deal later. For the intervening period, suffice it to say that what is being done is essentially supplementary to the fair deal scheme and is largely defined by who does not rather than who does qualify for it. Section 11 relates to that and to persons who do not qualify for the fair deal scheme. It is an extra lever to take money from patients. The section will largely affect those persons who are taken into respite care and who end up staying for longer than was originally envisaged. These individuals will be placed under pressure financially to participate in the nursing home support scheme when that scheme may not be appropriate in the context of meeting their needs. The Bill allows that anyone in a public nursing home in need of long-term care who has not applied to the scheme may be charged up to the full economic cost of their care, approximately €1,400 per week. In Sinn Féin's view, this is a punitive measure and we are opposed to it.