Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Question:438. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health how the cost of respite care charges is calculated. [15170/15]
View answerTuesday, 21 April 2015
Questions (438)
Written answers
Charges for long-stay in-patient services, including long-stay in-patient respite care services, were provided for under the Health (Amendment) Act 2005 and came into effect on 15 July 2005 under the Health (Charges for In-Patient Services) Regulations 2005. The Regulations have been amended on a number of occasions since 2005, most recently by the Health (Charges for In-patient Services) (Amendment) Regulations 2011, which came into effect on 23 July 2011.
Long-stay charges for in-patient services only apply to the further provision of in-patient services to persons who have already received at least 30 days of in-patient services during the immediately preceding 12-month period. Accordingly, many respite episodes would not attract any charge.
The level of the charges is based on income and cannot exceed 80% of the weekly non-contributory State pension. The Regulations provide for a maximum charge of €175 per week where in-patient care is provided in a setting with 24-hour nursing care (Class 1) or a maximum of €130 per week where in-patient care is provided in other settings (Class 2).
The charges are structured to ensure that those paying them retain a reasonable minimum income for personal use: at least €33 per week for those paying Class 1 rates and at least €64 per week for those paying Class 2 rates. The charging legislation provides that the HSE may reduce or waive charges where necessary to avoid undue financial hardship, having regard to individual financial circumstances, including whether there are dependants.