Michael Ring
Question:576 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children if there is an over supply or an under supply of private nursing homes. [15766/03]
Written Answers. - Nursing Home Subventions.
Michael Ring
Question:577 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the enhanced subvention levels which have been paid in each of the health board and authority areas in the past two years; the number of people who have applied for enhanced levels of subvention in this period; the number who have been approved; the cost of same; the number who have been refused; and the number of applications currently pending a decision. [15767/03]
Michael Ring
Question:578 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the amount the health boards are paying in subventions in each health board and authority area for the past two years. [15768/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 576 to 578, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy will be aware, public beds are available in each health board area in community hospitals and community nursing units. With increases in demographics, and with a higher percentage of our population now over 65 years of age, there is a greater demand on these public beds. This increase in demand was highlighted in the national health strategy with the commitment to supply an additional 850 public beds under a pilot public private partnership project, initially in the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the Southern Health Board.
These beds will be provided in 17 new sites, nine in the Eastern Regional Health Authority and eight Southern Health Board areas. These additional beds will not be available by the end of 2003, as the process of providing services under a PPP arrangement requires the health board or authority to abide by EU procurement legislation for projects of this size. The health boards or authority in question have advertised in the Official Journal of the European Community for business advisers to assist them in progressing these pilot projects following which, it is hoped the detailed contracts will be drawn up and subsequent construction of the units will commence.
The provision of these beds is consistent with the commitment in the health strategy to provide additional public long-stay beds to cope with additional demand arising from an increasing number of older people. It is acknowledged that we will need to increase our existing bed provision if we are to meet this demand. In addition to public beds, older people may be in long-term care in any of the approximately 400 registered private nursing homes around the country. Subventions are paid to residents who may have difficulty in financing the full cost of their care. In 1994, the first full year of the operation of the scheme, it cost €15.192 million and funding of €110 million is in place to fund the scheme this year. The amounts paid by each health board over the past two years are as follows:
|
Health BoardArea |
2001 |
2002 |
|
ERHA |
€50,746,577.56 |
€60,164,455.00 |
|
MHB |
€3,703,813.87 |
€4,809,782.27 |
|
MWHB |
€7,526,460.00 |
€9,108,759.77 |
|
NEHB |
€5,496,566.96 |
€7,691,861.49 |
|
NWHB |
€3,888,012.00 |
€4,616,603.00 |
|
SHB |
€11,664,951.00 |
€15,907,479.00 |
|
SEHB |
€5,557,743.00 |
€7,687,341.00 |
|
WHB |
€11,711,506.62 |
€13,855,720.00 |
In regard to enhanced subvention, this information is not routinely collected by my Department. Officials in my Department have requested the information from the various health boards and this will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available.