Vol. 529 No. 1
553 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Health and Children if a special grant will be made available to the Western Health Board to allow the health board, in special cases of extreme circumstances, to pay in excess of the maximum rate for nursing home subventions as is the practice in other health board areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1219/01]
The Nursing Homes (Subvention) Regulations, 1993, is administered by the health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority. There are currently three maximum rates of subvention payable – £70, £95, £120 – in accordance with three levels of dependency, medium, high, maximum, which are eligible for subvention. However, it is the intention to increase the rates by 25% to £90, £120 and £150 from 1 April next.
A health board may pay more than the maximum rate of subvention relative to an individual's level of dependency, for example in cases where personal funds are exhausted. Sections 22(3) and 22(4) of the Nursing Home (Subvention) Regulations, 1993, permit health boards to contract beds in private nursing homes and to pay more than the maximum rates of subvention in such cases. The application of these provisions is a matter for the individual health board concerned in the context of meeting increasing demands for subventions within available resources.
