Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 431: To ask the Minister for Health the cost per patient of running all hospitals, community hospitals and public nursing homes in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39443/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

One of the key elements of the Government's health reform programme is financial reform of the acute hospital sector. We are committed to introducing a more efficient and transparent 'money follows the patient' funding system for hospitals. Various initiatives to facilitate achievement of the 'money follows the patient' funding system are already under way. These include a patient-level costing project that tracks resources actually used by individual patients in hospitals. This project is ongoing at present.

I would also like to advise the Deputy that the HSE currently operates a national casemix programme. Under this programme, the national average cost per inpatient case in 2009 (the latest full year for which data is available), based on hospitals participating in the programme, was €5,217, and the national average cost per case for an elective daycase in 2009 was €703.

In relation to the cost of long-term residential care in public nursing homes, this is published on the HSE's website at http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/Find_a_Service/Older-People_Services/nhss/costs.html. The cost of care in public nursing homes is currently being reviewed.