Written Answers. - Medical Appliances.
Séamus Hughes
Question:
71
Mr. Hughes
asked the
Minister for Health
if he will consider the extension of the provision of medical appliances without charge pursuant to section 59 of the Health Act, 1970, to long stay elderly in private nursing homes in view of the entitlement of public patients in geriatric hospitals to items such as incontinence pads; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[2520/95]
Limerick East): A person in receipt of a nursing home subvention is entitled to items which are covered by the subvention, including incontinence wear. Article 16.1 of the Nursing Homes (Subvention) Regulations Act, 1993, provides that a registered proprietor of a nursing home shall not seek any additional payment from a subvented patient for any service which is considered to be essential to the maintenance of a person in a nursing home and common practice in nursing homes. Among the services which are considered to be essential to the maintenance of a person in a nursing home and common practice in most nursing homes are incontinence wear and bedding, laundry service and aids and appliances necessary to assist a dependent person with the activities of daily living.
Following the publication of the report all the health boards were asked to prepare plans to implement the recommendations of the report. I am satisfied that the recommendations contained in the report are being progressively implemented by the health boards.
In recent years an additional £9 million was made available to the health boards to develop services for the elderly and their carers. The extra funding has enabled the health boards to expand home nursing services, to provide day care centres and day hospitals, to provide more departments of medicine of the elderly in general hospitals, to increase the number of physiotherapists and speech therapists in the community and to develop services for the elderly mentally infirm. I am making available a further £7.5 million this year to improve health services for the elderly, in recognition of the priority I attach to these services.
One of the most important developments in services for the elderly in recent years has been the development of specialist departments of medicine old age in general hospitals. The number of these departments has increased from eight in 1988 to over 20 this year. It is intended to open a number of new departments of medicine of old age in general hospitals this year.
Another important recommendation ofThe Years Ahead, namely the Health (Nursing Homes) Act, 1990, came into effect on 1 September 1993. The new Act is a major step forward in ensuring that dependent elderly persons in this country will be well cared for. By the end of 1994, a total of almost £12 million was made available to implement the Act. Additional funding is being allocated to health boards this year to provide further subventions.
The progress achieved in developing the health services for the elderly in line with the recommendations ofThe Years Ahead will be maintained.
It is recognised that the rapid rise in the number of people in the oldest age groups will pose a special challenge to health services in the next four years. Services in the community and in hospital will have to be responsive to the increased demand which this growing population of older people is likely to bring.
In the recently published health strategy, one of the priorities in relation to the elderly will be to strengthen the role of the general practitioner, the public health nurse, the home help and other primary care professionals in supporting older people and their carers who live at home. The target will be to ensure that not less than 90 per cent of those over 75 years of age continue to live at home.
A further priority of the health strategy in relation to older people over the next four years will be the provision of additional places for convalescent care for elderly people who do not need acute medical care and the building of eight small scale nursing units in the community to replace unsuitable accommodation and to meet the needs of the expanding population of older people.
I appreciate that there is still some distance to go before all the recommendations ofThe Years Ahead are implemented. I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to work towards that goal.
