Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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1453. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider having a system through which families could get impartial advice on the fair deal scheme in view of its complexity, through for example, an advocacy service or some other approach; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13551/23]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Nursing Home Support Scheme (NHSS), commonly referred to as 'Fair Deal', is a system of financial support for people who require long-term residential care. The primary legislation underpinning the NHSS is the Nursing Home Support Scheme Act 2009. Participants in the NHSS 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.

There are a number of resources available to older people and their families to assist them making a decision in respect of long-term residential care. It is advisable that all applicants and their families gather as much information about the scheme as possible and consider their personal circumstances before making an application.

The HSE provide a comprehensive guide to the scheme on their own website which can be viewed by following this link: www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/fair-deal-scheme/about/

Further guidance and assistance making a Nursing Homes Support Scheme application can be obtained directly from the Nursing Home Support Office (NHSO). A contact list for local NHSOs can be found at: www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/fair-deal-scheme/contact/

Applicants may also wish to contact HSE Live, Freephone: 1800 700 700, which is open:- Monday to Friday: 8am to 8pm- Saturday and Sunday: 9am to 5pm

All HSE employees abide by Supporting a Culture of Safety, Quality and Kindness: A Code of Conduct for Health and Social Service Providers which was developed by the Department of Health and published in 2018. The Code of Conduct applies to all health and social service providers and individuals acting on behalf of those service providers who are subject to the terms of the Health Act 2004 to 2007 and the Mental Health Act 2001. This ensures that HSE staff must at all times act respectfully, ethically, honestly, and adhere to professional regulation and codes of professional conduct. The full text of the code of conduct can be found at: www.hse.ie/eng/staff/resources/hr-circulars/dept-of-health-a-code-of-conduct-for-health-and-social-service-providers.pdf

In addition, the Age Friendly Homes website not only contains some useful guidance but also links to other resources which can help people make an informed decision in respect of nursing home care. The Age Friendly Homes website can be viewed by following this link: agefriendlyhomes.ie/topics/age-friendly-homes/nursing-homes/

Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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1454. To ask the Minister for Health when the recommendations of the Expert Panel report, now two and a half years old, will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13552/23]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Since the start of the pandemic, the national response has continuously evolved to take account of emerging evidence and learnings both nationally and internationally. Throughout, this has included a specific focus on older people, in particular, those resident in nursing homes.

Significant supports were put in place for nursing homes, and the situation at both a local and a national level was kept under ongoing and active review. An independent Nursing Homes Expert Panel was established early in the pandemic to examine the management of COVID-19 in nursing homes and provide real-time learnings and recommendations to inform the ongoing response. The Expert Panel reported in August 2020 and made a serious of recommendations in relation to (1) the pandemic response in nursing homes and (2) a wide-ranging programme of improvement and reform for older persons’ care more broadly.

The Fourth Progress Report on the Implementation of the COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel Recommendations published in June 2022 highlighted the important progress that had already taken place across a number of areas and sets out clearly the structures and processes that have been established to ensure continued implementation. It also highlighted that the majority of short and medium term recommendations which were aimed at safeguarding people living in nursing homes against the COVID-19 virus had already been implemented and mainstreamed into normal operations.

Appendix 2 of the fourth progress report provides detailed updates, next steps and timelines for each of the recommendations as published in June 2022. The report can be viewed at the following link:

assets.gov.ie/227614/f7a9d117-b199-4a55-9bce-7750ed230e68.pdf

Since then, significant progress has also been made on progressing medium and longer term reform recommendations in the following areas:

- The Patient Advocacy Services was extended to private nursing homes from 1^stNovember 2022.

- Revised Regulations were signed in December 2022 to enhance and streamline complaints processes. These came into effect on the 1st March 2023.

- The results of the first Nursing Homes Care Experience survey were published in November 2022.

- Work is advancing on the development of a Safe Staffing & Skillmix Framework for the sector.

- New palliative and end-of-life programme for nursing homes was launched in 2022.

- General Scheme of a Bill was published in October 2022 to give the regulator (HIQA) further powers, including in relation to enforcement and data collection.

- New dedicated IPC and Safeguarding Specialist Capacities for nursing homes have been established across the 9 CHOs and recruitment is ongoing.

- Recruitment has also commenced for Community Support Teams.

Over 100 places funded on postgraduate gerontological nursing training course for academic year 2022/2023.

While it is accepted that this broad programme of wide-ranging and complex reform will take time to implement, the Government is committed to the implementation of the Expert Panel recommendations. Funding has been put in place in 2023 for the continued implementation and mainstreaming of a range of Expert Panel recommendations, including the establishment of permanent Community Support Teams, piloting of Clinical Governance Oversight committees and the development of a Safe Staffing Framework for the sector.

In addition, the Programme for Government (2020) commits to the establishment of a ‘commission on care’ that will ‘assess how we care for older people and examine alternatives to meet the diverse needs of our older citizens’, learning the lessons from COVID-19. The Department of Health has responsibility for fulfilling this commitment. The scoping of, and planning for, the commission is being advanced as a priority in 2023.