Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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665. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding nursing home support, fair deal; the current waiting time; and his plans to reduce this [1361/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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As of the 5th of January 2015 (latest figures available) there are 1,188 people on the national placement list for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS). The HSE controls the release of funding to manage the funds that are available across the course of the year. Funding is released to approved applicants according to their place, in order of their approval date, on the National Placement List. Over recent months, demand for funding has exceeded what could be released and the national placement list has grown as a result.

In July 2014, the HSE allocated €5m for an initiative to improve access to appropriate care for older people. To date this has funded over 300 transitional care beds for patients in acute hospitals who are on the national placement list and over 200 home care packages to assist patients in the acute hospitals who require a home care package to be discharged.

In Budget 2015 a further €25 million was allocated to alleviate the problem of delayed discharges, €10m of this amount has been allocated to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme which has allowed the HSE to reduce waiting times for funding from circa 15 weeks to circa 11 weeks now.

The Review of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, which will be completed in the coming months, will include consideration of the future balance between community and residential services and the longer-term sustainability of the Scheme.