Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 10 Feb 1993

Vol. 425 No. 7

Written Answers. - Montenotte (Cork) Nursing Home.

Máirín Quill

Question:

472 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the current difficulties at St. Mary's Nursing Home, Montenotte, Cork; and to the impact that these difficulties are having on frail elderly patients, their relatives and staff, working in the home; the action, if any, which can be taken to resolve the problem satisfactorily; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Health (Mr. Howlin)

I am aware of the current difficulties at St. Mary's Nursing Home, Montenotte, Cork, and the anxiety that these difficulties are causing to patients of the home, to their relatives and to the staff working in the home.

There are currently 73 patients resident in St. Mary's Nursing Home, of whom 40 are subvented by the Southern Health Board at a rate of £52.15 per week under Section 54 of the Health Act, 1970. As the remaining 33 patients, who are not entitled to receive section 54 subventions, are unable to meet the fees of the home, the Southern Health Board offered to subvent them under section 26 of the Health Act, 1970, at a rate of £52 per week for the duration of their stay in the home.

The management of the home has rejected this offer and has demanded that subvention be paid in respect of the full complement of 90 beds, even though there are currently only 73 patients in the home and that the Southern Health Board makes St. Mary's financially viable.

In view of its responsibility to allocate scarce funds for nursing care in a fair manner the Southern Health Board could not agree to these demands. The Southern Health Board has been sympathetic to the difficulties being experienced at St. Mary's Home and has offered to make extra funds available over and above its obligation towards the home. It is not the responsibility of health boards nor of my Department to ensure the viability of nursing homes which have been established by private individuals as private concerns.

I am aware that there are shortcomings in the current system of subvention of patients in nursing homes. The Health (Nursing Homes) Act, 1990, which will be implemented this year, within the overall resources made available to implement the Act provides a new system of subventing patients in nursing homes, following an assessment of the dependency and means of the person concerned.