David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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2966. To ask the Minister for Health when the value for money review on nursing home care costs will be published. [39722/21]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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In March 2018, the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee recommended that the Government undertake a Value for Money review to identify, quantify and analyse the reasons for any cost differential between private/voluntary and public nursing homes, and following analysis, to make recommendations for improving the value for money obtained by the Health sector.

The review was undertaken under the direction of a Steering Committee led by an independent chairman and comprising representatives of the Department of Health (DoH), the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), the Health Service Executive (HSE), and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

The Review has taken longer to complete than originally anticipated. Initially, delays were encountered while attempting to obtain sufficient private sector data to allow for a meaningful comparison between the sectors. As work was progressing to resolve this issue, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. As a result, the review was temporarily paused in order to focus all resources in responding to the crisis.

The Review has now been completed and has been signed off by the Steering Committee. In line with the requirements of the Public Spending Code, a Memo for Government is due to issue shortly.