Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 April 2013
619. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the reason the Health Service Executive has now imposed charges of €170 per week for respite care in hospitals; if he will reverse this decision in view of the fact that it places a massive burden on the families who are providing care to loved ones and who require respite; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18737/13]
View answerI wish to make it clear that no new charges have been introduced. In accordance with the Health (Charges for In-Patient Services) Regulations 2005-2011, charges apply for in-patient services other than for acute hospital care and for long-term residential care services supported under the Nursing Home Support Scheme (Fair Deal), both of which are subject to separate charging regimes. Under these Regulations, the HSE must apply charges (subject to certain exemptions) to all those who receive in-patient services for longer than 30 days over a rolling 12 month period. Charges apply whether or not the person has full or limited eligibility.
I understand that directions to ensure the uniform application of the existing legislation on charges for in-patient respite care services across all HSE areas were circulated by the HSE at the end of March 2013 for implementation with immediate effect. This development brought areas that were not charging for in-patient respite care services into line with other areas that were already charging for such services. As a result, and in the interests of fairness and equity, in-patient respite care charges have now been implemented in all areas on a standard and consistent basis in accordance with the legislation in place since 2005.
The level of the charges is based on income and cannot exceed 80% of the weekly non-contributory State pension. The Regulations currently provide for a maximum charge of €175 per week where in-patient care is provided in a setting with 24-hour nursing care or a maximum of €130 per week where in-patient care is provided in other settings. The charging legislation provides that the HSE may reduce or waive charges where necessary to avoid financial hardship, having regard to individual financial circumstances (including whether there are dependants).
