Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 7 September 2018
731. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the cost of increasing the nursing home support scheme maximum agreed prices for private and voluntary nursing homes by 5% for all places in dementia specific units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35921/18]
View answerThe Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), commonly referred to as Fair Deal, is a system of financial support for people who require long-term residential care. The Scheme aims to ensure that long-term nursing home care is accessible and affordable for everyone and that people are cared for in the most appropriate settings.
Anyone who has applied for NHSS and is assessed as requiring long-term residential care, including people with dementia, can avail of the Scheme, regardless of age or condition, as long as the person’s care needs can be appropriately met in a nursing home that participates in the Scheme. The applicant can choose any public, voluntary or approved private nursing home. The home must have availability and be able to cater for the applicant's particular needs.
Dementia is an umbrella term for loss of memory and other cognitive abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life, caused by physical changes in the brain. There are over 400 different types of dementia. Not all people with dementia who are being cared for in a nursing home reside in a Specialist Care Unit (SCU) for dementia. Whilst the majority of nursing home residents have some type of cognitive impairment or dementia, only a small proportion of nursing homes operate an SCU for dementia.
The HSE estimate that the current average price for a private/voluntary bed in the NHSS is €1,000 per week, a 5% increase would result in an increase of €50 per bed per week. As there are approximately 17,475 people being supported in private/voluntary nursing homes under the NHSS, a general increase in the NTPF agreed rate would amount to an additional weekly cost of €873,750.
