Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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593. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the commitment in the programme for Government on the fair deal system of financing nursing home care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9969/15]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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594. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the commitment in the programme for Government on providing more residential places, home care packages and community care services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9970/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 593 and 594 together.

When the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS) commenced, a commitment was made that it would be reviewed after three years. The Review, as well as considering how the Scheme has operated to date, will also consider broader issues including how community and residential supports and services should be balanced, and how prices are set for residential care. The draft Review requires further analysis and this is ongoing at present.

Government policy will continue to prioritise allowing older people to remain in their own homes and communities for as long as possible, and ensuring that appropriate residential care is available when it is needed.

In Budget 2015 the Government allocated €25m to deal with delayed discharges. This additional funding is being applied across residential and community services to reflect the varying needs of patients. This funding was targeted to support:

- 300 extra people under the Nursing Home Support Scheme;

- 50 additional transitional care beds allocated to the Dublin Hospitals on a named patient basis which will be recycled to the hospitals when available;

- 65 beds to be brought on stream on a phased basis, during 2015 at Mount Carmel Hospital;

- 400 extra Home Care Packages to benefit 600 people in the course of the year;

- The expansion of the community intervention team services in primary care.

This year hospitals have experienced increased overcrowding in Emergency Departments and an increase in the number of patients whose discharge was delayed. In order to ensure that patients received the appropriate care in the appropriate setting the Government recently approved additional funding of €74m. This has been allocated as follows:

- €44m for the NHSS to support and additional 1,600 places during 2015;

- €30m to cover the cost of additional transitional care beds through to June and additional community, convalescent and district hospital beds on a permanent basis.

The projected target levels for people receiving financial support under the NHSS, home help hours and home care packages set out in the 2014 HSE’s National Service Plan were met or exceeded. The 2015 Plan projects that 10.3m hours help hours will be provided, that 13,800 people will be in receipt of a home care package and that 22,361 people will receive financial support under the NHSS. It should be noted that following the recent announcement for additional funding allocated to the NHSS it is now projected that 23,965 people will receive financial support during 2015.