Vol. 487 No. 1
105 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the huge increase in nursing home fees over the past few years which have eroded the value of the subvention system and put huge pressure on many families contributing towards the cost of care of elderly relatives; the plans, if any, he has to assist in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3528/98]
The Health (Nursing Homes) Act, 1990 gives powers to the health boards to enforce high standards of accommodation and care in nursing homes. The Act also introduced a new system of nursing home subventions so that dependent people most in need of nursing home care would have access to such care. The scheme is intended to assist persons in meeting the cost of nursing home care but it is not intended to meet the full costs involved.
An additional sum of £6.9 million was allocated in 1997 to the health boards to meet the increasing demand for subventions towards the cost of care of older people in nursing homes, i.e. increasing numbers of applications and the higher level of dependency among applicants, with the increase in cost associated with the amendment to the Nursing Home Regulations in July 1996. This amendment included a provision which permitted health boards to pay a nursing home subvention above the maximum rate applicable to the level of dependency of the applicant. There is a commitment in the programme for Government to increase the levels of subvention and this will be considered within the context of resources available to the health services.
