asked the Minister for Health if she will approve St. Columba's Nursing Home, Kilcolgan, County Galway, under section 54 of the Health Act, 1970, for the purpose of the payment of subventions; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Galway Nursing Home.
3.
I am not in a position to give approval to this home at this time. The problem essentially is that there are increasing numbers of nursing homes setting up in business and seeking approval to the payment of subventions. In many instances the accommodation they provide is not essential to health services requirements. In a situation in which financial resource is scarce it is essential that the need for the accommodation should be thoroughly assessed. My Department have recently met with health boards in this regard and further consultations with them will be necessary before I can arrive at any decision.
Arising out of the Minister's reply, would she agree that this home is in existence for some time and that there are old people in residence there who find that the increasing cost of paying the fees is getting beyond their capacity to pay? If they have to leave these homes the only other option available to them is a home provided by the health board. The cost of this would be greatly in excess of the small subvention which the health boards had been authorised to pay in previous years. I think the present Minister is the first Minister who has not sanctioned payment of subventions to these excellent homes which have been giving wonderful care to our older citizens. Would the Minister comment?
The application from St. Columba's was received on 3 February 1981 for registration under section 54 of the Health Act, 1970. A large number of these homes are seeking registration at present.
The Western Health Board area?
In the Western Health Board area there are seven nursing homes with a bed complement of 146. Throughout the rest of the country, there are a further 18 nursing homes with a bed complement of 325. In view of the large volume of applications for approval a meeting was arranged and took place on 24 September between representatives of the health boards and of my Department. A number of points emerged from this meeting and a further meeting will be held. We are at present awaiting a paper from the CEOs on the general issue and it is hoped that the further meeting will be held before the end of this year.
Would the Minister inform the House of the estimated cost of these additional homes on an annual basis to the State if this subvention were to be agreed to?
I do not now have the total cost but know that it is quite considerable. There is also the question of the scarcity of capital resources. The matters which arose at the meeting which took place between the officials of the Department and of the Health Board included a suggestion that there should be statutory registration of the homes in order to provide better control over them. There is also the question of the assessment of patients' eligibility under section 54 of the Act, because it is confined to those patients who are receiving nursing care as opposed to welfare care only. There are a number of questions to be looked into and cleared and there will then be a total costing. I am not at present in a position to state the total cost.
Where are those unfortunate people going to go? They will be put out on the road.
I call on Deputy Woods.
I want to ask the Minister a question.
I am sorry, Deputy. I call Deputy Woods.
Will the Chair allow me to ask a further supplementary question?
Deputy Michael Woods.
Would the Minister agree that there is a shortfall of places in the area, certainly in excess of 200? If there are 146 beds available in this way, the Minister must try to ensure that at least some of these beds are made available to meet this shortfall.
Surely, this has been happening all the time?
I cannot accept that information about a shortfall of 200 places. The Deputy may have that information, but I do not. There was a shortfall in the region of £600,000 in the funds made available to the Western Health Board this year. That did not happen overnight. There is quite a build-up. We must assess properly the situation and see what moneys are available to us. I can assure Deputies Molloy and Woods that in so far as this home is concerned I will treat the matter as sympathetically as I can with the resources available to me and in the light of the information which I will get in regard to the registration of the homes under section 54.
I want to ask the Minister a straight question. Where are these people to go to if she refuses this subvention and they have to leave this home? These are old, feeble people of poor means whose families are trying to scrape together the money for these fees. Where are these people to go to?
I cannot accept the allegation that I am putting these people out on the road. I can assure the Deputy that I will——
Where are they to go to? I have a bagful of letters from relatives of these people who have their backs to the wall and cannot meet the cost.
Could I point out to the Deputy that this is something that cannot be resolved overnight? The application was made on 3 February.
The Minister's predecessors in office have approved of these subventions.
My predecessor did not grant this between 3 February and the end of June. Obviously, he knew that there were problems to be resolved before recognition could be granted to this home.
The Minister has no answer as to where these people have to go to.
I assure the Deputy that the subject will be treated as sympathetically as possible.