Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 49: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the serious financial hardship being suffered by many elderly people in nursing homes due to the inadequate levels of nursing home subvention which is restricted to a maximum of €300 per week in a situation where charges can be up to €850 per week; and the proposals in the short term to relieve this hardship. [15762/08]

Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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The Nursing Home Subvention Scheme was introduced in 1993 to assist with the cost of private nursing home fees. A subvention may be paid where a person has been assessed as needing nursing home care by the Health Service Executive and where the person has satisfied a means test. Since the 1st January 2007 there are no longer three separate rates for subvention. Persons who apply may receive any amount up to a maximum of €300 per week.

An enhanced subvention contribution, which is an additional discretionary contribution, may be paid by the HSE in addition to basic subvention. These discretionary contributions are subject to the limit of the resources available for the scheme. There is no set amount of enhanced subvention contribution. The amount payable in each individual case will vary depending on the following criteria:

the assessed means of the applicant

the cost of care in the individual case compared to the level of fees in the locality

the amount of basic subvention payable

the amount of resources available for the scheme

the need for the HSE to ensure that the available resources are distributed in a way that supports applicants as evenly as possible across the country.

Guidelines on the operation of the nursing home subvention scheme are available on the HSE website at www.hse.ie. The choice of private nursing home is a matter for the applicant and/or their representatives. The HSE pays the approved subvention to the nursing home of the applicants' choice and the payment of the balance of the nursing home fee is a matter between the applicant and the nursing home under the contract of care agreed between these parties.