Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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101. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding reports that up to 60% of State run nursing homes risk sanctions up to and including closure unless the Government complies with an imminent deadline to upgrade them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44630/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The Health Information and Quality Authority was established under the Health Act 2007 to register and inspect categories of centres including nursing homes for older people. In this context all public nursing homes are currently registered with HIQA.

In 2013 HIQA issued a regulatory notice in relation to Standard 25, which addresses the physical environment, advising the sector that "where particular criteria regarding premises are not met in the Centre, the provider must provide clear evidence of the other ways by which they are reaching the Standard and must demonstrate to the Chief Inspector that these alternative arrangements are delivering on the Standard for each individual resident. In the case of Standard 25, the Chief Inspector will require substantial and exceptional justification for any premises which purports to meet Standard 25 without implementation of the individual criteria.”

Registration renewals for the majority of these are due from the middle of next year. Bearing in mind their age and structure, public nursing homes face real challenges and require investment in excess of the funding that will be available in the short to medium term.

It is important that we do everything possible to apply appropriate standards to all facilities. It is also a fact that publicly-run facilities provide bed capacity which is critically needed by older people, particularly by those with high or complex care needs for whom public facilities are often the only place that can meet their needs. Notwithstanding the problems that some facilities face with structures and facilities, the vast majority of their residents receive excellent levels of care. Without these public facilities many older people would simply have nowhere to go, other than our acute hospitals which are already under pressure.

The critical thing for me is to manage this situation in the best interests of the older people affected by it, and discussions have already taken place between the HSE and HIQA on the issues that arise for facilities around the country. In addition, my Department and the HSE are working to establish the options that may be available in this regard and how we can ensure that older people continue to be looked after. That is and will remain my priority.