Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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613. To ask the Minister for Health the difference between the fee for private and HSE run nursing homes (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24438/18]

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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The Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), commonly referred to as Fair Deal, is a system of financial support for people who require long-term residential care. Participants contribute to the cost of their care according to their means while the State pays the balance of the cost. The Scheme aims to ensure that long-term nursing home care is accessible and affordable for everyone and that people are cared for in the most appropriate settings.

In relation to variations in the cost of care for public and private nursing homes it is acknowledged that public nursing homes have, in general, a higher cost of care. It is understood that a number of factors contribute to this such as higher dependency levels of residents requiring a higher staff skill mix, environmental implications for staffing levels and the geographical provision of residential placements.

That said, there is a need to undertake a deeper analysis of the factors driving the higher costs of care in public units. The 2015 Review of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme identified the need for a Value for Money and Policy (VFM) review of the cost differentials in public and private/voluntary residential facilities. The Department will be working on this review throughout the year.

I have also asked the Interdepartmental Working Group established to oversee the implementation of the recommendations contained in the NHSS Review 2015 to examine the issue of additional charges, as part of its on-going work.

In the first instance a Department of Health/HSE project group was established to examine the high level issues regarding additional charges in nursing homes participating in the NHSS. The project work is underway and the team has written to a number of private/voluntary and public nursing homes with a view to arranging individual meetings to examine the matter. On foot of this initial engagement, visits to nursing homes are being scheduled and will be conducted over the coming weeks.

The implementation of any recommendations arising from this work will be developed with the input and support of relevant stakeholders from the sector.