Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 12 Apr 2001

Vol. 534 No. 5

Written Answers - Nursing Home Subventions.

Seymour Crawford

Question:

146 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Health and Children the amount of money his Department provided to nursing home subvention at national level; the amount each health board received; the number of patients who benefited in each health board region; if he has satisfied himself that all health boards use the same assessment procedure; the number of health boards which offer subvention for out of state residents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11303/01]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin):

The funding provided by my Department for the operation of the nursing home subvention scheme is set out in the following table:

Health Board	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
ERHA	2,230,400	5,395,400	6,475,400	6,475,400	8,930,400	8,930,400	11,047,400	12,061,400	14,323,400
MHB	181,300	494,800	743,200	743,200	1,624,200	1,324,200	1,789,200	2,019,200	2,397,200
MWHB	344,900	1,168,900	1,404,100	1,404,100	3,017,100	2,067,100	3,217,100	3,988,100	4,736,100
NEHB	249,200	719,200	1,215,600	1,515,600	1,975,600	1,975,600	2,992,600	3,267,600	3,879,600
NWHB	110,300	388,300	467,500	817,500	2,167,500	1,337,500	2,443,500	2,809,500	3,336,500
SEHB	330,700	1,022,200	1,226,200	1,226,200	2,461,200	1,851,200	2,801,200	3,502,200	4,158,200
SHB	360,300	1,120,300	1,715,900	2,083,900	3,673,900	3,113,900	4,888,900	5,853,900	6,951,900
WHB	192,900	1,655,900	1,987,100	2,618,100	3,999,100	3,249,100	3,999,100	4,977,100	5,910,100
Total	4,000,000	11,965,000	15,235,000	16,884,000	27,849,000	23,849,000	33,179,000	38,479,000	45,693,000

The First Schedule of the Nursing Homes (Subvention) Regulations, 1993, sets out the general rules for the assessment of dependency in respect of an application for a nursing home subvention. Articles 5 and 6 of the First Schedule provide that the assessment of dependency shall include an evaluation of the ability of the person in respect of whom a subvention has been sought to carry out the tasks of daily living and of the level of social support available to the person. The tasks of daily living include,inter alia, degree of mobility, ability to dress or feed unaided and ability to communicate. The social support of the person is also taken into account with the use of indicators as outlined in Article 8 of the First Schedule, including housing conditions and the extend of community support.

The information requested by the Deputy concerning the number of patients who benefited from the subvention scheme or the number of health boards which offer subvention for out of state residents is not collected by this Department. I have asked the chief executive officers of the health boards-authority to investigate the matter and reply directly to the Deputy.