Written answers

Tuesday, 11 May 2010

Department of Health and Children

Patient Statistics

8:00 am

Photo of Bernard AllenBernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 137: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons discharged from acute hospitals in the Mid-Western Health Board area on a hospital by hospital basis and in each case the nursing homes these patients were discharged to on contract by the Health Service Executive; and the procurement practices in place to obtain the best rates possible from those nursing homes and the safeguards in place to ensure standards. [18705/10]

Photo of Áine BradyÁine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The new Nursing Homes Support Scheme commenced on the 27th October 2009. The scheme was introduced in order to address the inequity in the treatment of public and private long-term nursing home residents and in order to alleviate the financial hardship being experienced by long-term residents in private nursing homes. The Nursing Homes Support Scheme is now the single system of financial support for long-term nursing home care and the HSE can no longer contract beds in private nursing homes for such care. The scheme applies to public, private and voluntary nursing homes and allows individuals to choose their own nursing home, subject to it being able to cater for their particular needs.

In order to participate in the scheme, private nursing homes must negotiate and agree a price for the cost of care with the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). Part of the NTPF's role in these negotiations is ensuring value for money for both the individual and the State.

In addition to the new Nursing Homes Support Scheme, on the 1st July 2009 new Care and Welfare Regulations for Residential Care Settings for Older People came into force. The Regulations underpin the National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People in Ireland http://www.dohc.ie/issues/nursing_home_inspection/standards.pdf and enabled the Health Information and Quality Authority to commence an independent system of registration and inspection of all nursing homes from that date. Over 170 reports of inspections have been published to date.

The number of persons discharged from acute hospitals in the Mid-Western Health Board area on a hospital by hospital basis and the nursing homes to which they were discharged is a service matter. I wish to advise the Deputy that due to industrial action affecting the Health Service Executive it is not possible for the Executive to supply the information requested. If this matter remains of continuing concern to you, however, I would invite you to raise it with me again in due course.

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