Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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731. To ask the Minister for Health if unannounced HIQA inspections of nursing homes will be made in the evenings given the concern of families that bed-bound patients have no food or drink from five to six pm until breakfast time the following morning; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27851/22]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Chief Inspector within HIQA is legally responsible for the monitoring, inspection and registration of designated centres for older people, such as nursing homes, in Ireland. HIQA carries out different types of inspections; most of which are currently unannounced. The timing of inspections is informed by the information available to inspectors, with most taking place during the day, Monday to Friday. However, if information suggests that there may be issues occurring in a nursing home in the early morning, evening, at night or at the weekend, inspections may be carried out at these times.

If the deputy wishes to give feedback or raise a concern about the care or support in a health or social care service, this can be done by contacting HIQA directly via the contact details on their website. 

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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732. To ask the Minister for Health if his Department is satisfied that any cost cutting measures in private nursing homes are not affecting standards of care; the actions that his Department has taken to satisfy itself of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27852/22]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of the specific challenges faced by the Nursing Home sector related to price inflation and increased energy costs. I have met directly with Nursing Homes Ireland, the representative organisation for private and voluntary nursing homes, to discuss this issue, and have written to the National Treatment Purchase Fund to request that they consider the matter alongside departmental officials.

Funding to support people to access services in the sector continues to be provided in line with the long-established statutory mechanisms under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009. This is the mechanism established by the Oireachtas to provide for the processes relating to funding under the NHSS and the negotiation of prices for services for private and voluntary providers with the designated State agency, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). The NTPF has statutory independence, and neither I nor the Minister for Health have any role in NHSS price negotiations. 

The Health Act 2007 introduced a significant change to how residential care settings (public and private nursing homes) for older people are inspected and registered.  The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is the statutory independent regulator for this sector and this responsibility is underpinned by a comprehensive quality framework comprising of Registration Regulations, Care and Welfare Regulations and Quality Standards.   As a regulator HIQA has no legal role in examining individual complaints, however, the Authority does take into account all information it receives, including complaints from the public, when carrying out inspections. 

It is also important to reflect that all nursing homes, as registered providers with HIQA, have well-established obligations under the legal framework in terms of the delivery of safe care to residents. Nursing homes are required, by law, to ensure that procedures consistent with the standards published by HIQA are implemented by staff.