Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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620. To ask the Minister for Health the immediate steps that he will take to ensure that the departure of a large number of private nursing homes from the market due to the severe underfunding of the industry will not occur; the reason that there is such a large discrepancy in the levels of funding between private and public nursing homes given that the level of care provided is the same; the steps that he will take to ensure that Ireland will have sufficient nursing home places in the coming years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45041/22]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I am acutely aware of the specific challenges faced by the nursing home sector related to price inflation and increased energy costs. I am currently working on proposals to support smaller and voluntary nursing homes in relation to the specific challenges they are experiencing and hope to make an announcement soon.

I engage consistently on an ongoing basis with Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI), the representative organisation for private and voluntary nursing homes. I have met directly with NHI and updated them in detail on progress being made in relation to this matter. I have also met with the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to request that they consider the matter alongside departmental officials. I have visited a number of nursing homes to discuss this issue with management of both public and private/voluntary nursing units. It is imperative that nursing homes manage potential cost pressures in line with their regulatory and contractual responsibilities, maintaining their quality of care so that residents’ lived experience and comfort is not affected.

The Government has also provided substantial supports to the nursing home sector over the course of the pandemic. Over €143 million has been claimed by nursing homes under the TAPS scheme since spring 2020, and the scheme continues in effect. Substantial additional supports have been provided by the HSE in terms of serial testing, PPE, the deployment of specialist teams and other services. Many of these supports continue.

The Department of Health acknowledges that there are variations in the cost of care across public centres as well as across private nursing homes, with public nursing homes generally having a higher cost of care to the exchequer. However, it is important to note that regardless of whether it is a private, voluntary or public nursing home, the resident's financial contribution is the same; the price of care only affects levels of state funding and has no direct impact on the resident.

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). Maximum prices for individual nursing homes are agreed with the NTPF following negotiations and based on the NTPF’s cost criteria. These criteria include:

- Costs reasonably incurred by the nursing home- Local market prices- Historic prices- Overall budgetary capacity

The NTPF carry out this role independently under the NHSS Act 2009 and there is no role for Ministers or the Department in these negotiations. It should also be noted that the department continues to work with the NTPF to take forward the recommended actions that emerged from the review of the NTPF pricing system published in June 2021. One of these actions relates to exploring a new geographical pricing model for the sector.