Written answers

Tuesday, 19 June 2018

Department of Health

Nursing Home Subventions

Photo of Bobby AylwardBobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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404. To ask the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that the State subvention to community nursing homes is adequate to support the provision of an appropriate level of residential care for elderly persons; if the possibility of increasing the State subvention to community nursing homes ahead of budget 2019 will be investigated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26771/18]

Photo of Jim DalyJim 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.

This statutory based scheme replaced the Nursing Home Subvention which had been in existence since 1993. Any person who was supported in a private nursing home before the commencement of the NHSS in October 2009 could choose to transfer to the NHSS or retain their existing subvention arrangements. Any person who was in a public or voluntary nursing home or in a contracted bed in a private nursing home before the commencement of the NHSS could also continue with their existing arrangements. The National Guidelines for the Standardised Implementation of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme states that nothing in the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009 or in the National Guidelines shall operate in a way that diminishes the overall financial position of an applicant in receipt of Nursing Home Subvention, or who is currently in a public nursing home bed, including contract beds.

The rules for qualifying for a subvention were that the person must be sufficiently dependent to need nursing home care and be unable to pay any or part of the cost of care in the home. This involved a means test.

No new applications for the subvention scheme were accepted after the introduction of the NHSS on 27 October 2009 when the maximum weekly subvention rate was €300. There are no plans to increase the State Subvention rate in the 2019 budget. Subvention rates continue to be paid from the total NHSS budget which in 2018 is €962 million.

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