Lorraine Higgins (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I raise a number of issues relating to the nursing homes sector which need to be addressed immediately in the interests of the work and services they provide not only to occupants and service users but also to the State. In particular, we require a debate as a matter of urgency, and for time to be set aside for the Minister for Health to attend the House to discuss issues relating to the national treatment purchase fund, NTPF, the acute lack of nurses in the private sector and the inordinate period of time patients are waiting to have their Fair Deal applications processed.

On the NTPF, we need a debate on how allocations for patients are determined. An east Galway constituent who runs a nursing home in a rural town raised the matter with me recently. She is being awarded €800 per patient by the NTPF whereas a comparable nursing home in Dublin receives almost double what she does, even though both nursing homes are subject to the same standards of care. As such, this issue in particular warrants further discussion. On the acute lack of nurses for the private sector, nursing homes are having huge problems trying to source suitably qualified nurses, who are fundamental to the proper running of their premises. Emigration has seen many young nurses leave Ireland while, unfortunately, the sourcing of foreign nurses has become cumbersome and protracted given how applications are processed. We are facing a crisis if this issue is not resolved, as it will result in the reduction of beds in homes. It will also have a detrimental effect on those in care, increase pressure on already in-demand community services and have a negative impact on local economies, of which these centres of care are key drivers. With regard to the inordinate period of time patients are waiting to have their Fair Deal applications processed, which can be up to one year in some cases, the Minister for Health must intervene forthwith to expedite the process. It is unfair on everybody, including nursing home owners, patients and their families. On that basis, we must set aside time for the Minister for Health to come to the House to discuss these matters at length.