Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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178. To ask the Minister for Health the number of patients on the waiting list to be admitted to nursing homes who are seeking to avail of the fair deal scheme; and the number of patients who are currently in hospital wards across the country and who are waiting to be accommodated in nursing homes. [48501/13]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The total budget for long-term residential care in 2013 in €974m. The HSE operates a national placement list to enable it to operate within the budget for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme. All applicants who are approved for funding are put on the placement list in chronological order by the date of determination of their application. Funding issues to applicants in this chronological order to ensure equity nationally. The HSE makes every effort to match available funding to demand by releasing funding on a weekly basis. According to the latest figures available from the HSE dated end September 2013, there were 523 people on the placement list with an average waiting time of 25 days.

As the issues raised by the Deputy are service matters, they have been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.