Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 858: To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that on Valentia Island, County Kerry, there is a local community hospital which is run by a local group that is finding it financially difficult to survive; if his further attention has been drawn to the fact that the continuation of the service of this facility is important to people living on Valentia Island and the surrounding parishes and they have provided care and assistance back over the years and one of the problems that they have on the island is Health Information and Quality Authority standards that are being applied; his views on suspending the role of HIQA for a number of years and allowing our excellent hospitals to get on with their job of work, which they are perfectly capable of doing, and keeping the high standards that they have had back over the years before HIQA ever came into existence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22906/11]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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As the Deputy is aware, the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, A Fair Deal, was introduced in October 2009 in order to address the fundamental inequity in the treatment of public and private long-term nursing home residents and to alleviate the financial hardship being experienced by long-term residents in private nursing homes.

However, the new scheme supports the individuals in need of long-term nursing home care, not the facilities providing the care. This means that money follows the patients, regardless of whether they choose public, private or voluntary nursing homes. It ensures that these facilities are not being funded for empty beds. In order to qualify for the scheme, all private nursing homes and voluntary nursing homes previously funded under section 39 of the Health Act 2004, including Valentia Hospital, must negotiate and agree a price for the cost of care with the National Treatment Purchase Fund. This is a necessary feature of the scheme due to the commitment by the State to meet the full balance of the cost of care over and above a person's contribution.

The Scheme only applies to long-term nursing home care. The hospital can continue to have separate agreements with the HSE for the provision of other services, e.g. day care, respite and convalescence. I understand that there have been ongoing discussions between the Board of Management of the hospital and the HSE with regards to future service provision. Indeed my colleague the Minister for Health met a delegation from Valentia Hospital in early June to discuss the issues raised by the Deputy.

This Government is committed to ensuring the health and safety of residents in nursing homes, whether they are private, voluntary or public. In order to ensure this it is vital that we have effective mechanisms in place to maintain and enhance public confidence in the delivery of quality services. The Health Act, 2007 provides a regime designed to protect residents through an independent inspection and registration system. On 1 July 2009 Statutory responsibility was given to the Chief Inspector of Social Services, part of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to carry out this function. This responsibility is underpinned by a comprehensive regulatory framework and National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People in Ireland. All nursing homes are subject to the same core standards and regulations in relation to quality and safety in order to ensure the well being of their residents. In this context the Minister cannot accede to the Deputy's request.