Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 585: To ask the Minister for Health in relation to the fair care scheme, where a person has been approved for the scheme, if it is the case that the funding must be used within three months of approval; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34239/11]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The legislation underpinning the scheme does not require that an offer of funding be taken up within three months. However, the HSE does specify that applicants to the scheme who have been granted funding must notify their local Nursing Homes Support Office of their nursing home of choice within a specified period. The HSE acknowledges that, in some cases, it may not be possible to immediately identify a nursing home, e.g. where there is no vacancy in the applicant's nursing home of choice. In such cases, applicants should maintain regular contact with their local Nursing Homes Support Office to keep it updated.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 586: To ask the Minister for Health in relation to fair care is it the case that a person who has been approved for participation in the scheme has to wait for all persons who have previously been approved for participation in the scheme to avail of a nursing home bed before they can take up a bed and use the funding for which they have been approved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34240/11]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Funding for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme is issued to applicants in the chronological order by date of determination of their application. The HSE maintains a national placement list to facilitate this. Once an applicant has been granted funding under the scheme, s/he can avail of a nursing home bed straight away and does not have to wait for those who were ahead of him/her on the placement list to enter nursing home care.