Vol. 461 No. 2
86 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Health the guidelines given the health boards regarding the portion of the old age pension that should be retained from patients in health board residential homes; the normal practice, if any, that currently exists; and his views on whether it is in order for health boards to retain the Christmas bonus given by the Department of Social Welfare. [2750/96]
Limerick East): At present long-stay charges can be made under two sets of regulations. Charges can be made under the Institutional Assistance Regulations, 1965, where the patient receives “shelter and maintenance” rather than treatment. These charges apply from the date of admission and are payable by all patients who are in receipt of incomes including medical card holders and persons with dependants. Charges can also be made under the Health (Charges for In-Patient Services) Regulations, 1976, as amended by the Health (Charges for In-Patient Services) (Amendment) Regulations, 1987. These regulations enable charges to be made towards the cost of providing hospital in-patient services for persons with income who have been in receipt of such services for thirty days or for periods totalling thirty days within the previous twelve months.
The over-riding consideration in applying long-stay charges is that persons with means who are in receipt of long-term care should make a contribution towards the cost of their maintenance. In deciding the amount to be contributed health boards have regard to the person's individual circumstances. Allowance is made for any financial commitments the person may have and a reasonable amount is left to meet the person's personal needs. When assessing a person's means all sources of income may be taken into account. In this regard the health boards are entitled to take additional payments, such as the Christmas bonus, into account.
