Vol. 417 No. 7
55 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of persons with medical cards who have had to be accommodated in private nursing home accommodation due to the lack of a bed in a public nursing home; whether these persons have a right to nursing home care under the Health Acts; and if he will outline the arrangements which are made for the payment of the cost of the private nursing home care.
Health boards are responsible under the Health Act for providing services for medical card holders who need nursing care. In the case of a person who requires residential nursing care and who cannot afford to pay for it, a health board may admit the person to one of their own homes for the elderly, or make arrangements to have the person placed in a private or voluntary nursing home and contribute towards the cost of the person's care. It is the policy of my Department to encourage partnership between health board and nursing homes in meeting the needs of the elderly. I understand that health boards do not record the information requested by the Deputy.
Under section 54 of the Health Act, 1970, a person may avail of a place in a nursing home approved by the Minister and is entitled to receive a contribution of £50.61 towards the cost of his or her care each week from the health board. About 78 nursing homes are approved under this section. Health boards contribute towards the costs of nursing home care under the arrangements referred to in the first paragraph above, payments under section 54 of the 1970 Health Act and grants to voluntary nursing homes under section 65 of the Health Act, 1953, In 1991, these contributions and grants amounted to £13 million approximately.
The Health (Nursing Homes) Act, 1990 provides for a new system for the payment of subvention to dependent persons in nursing homes and will ensure that subventions are paid according to standard criteria by all health boards. The drafting of regulations which set out the detailed conditions under which subventions will be paid is at an advanced stage. It is my intention to bring the Nursing Homes Act into effect later this year.
