Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 November 2021
683. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the actions his Department is taking to ensure gerontological care within nursing homes and beyond is appropriately resourced and valued by the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58959/21]
View answerThe Nursing Home 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.
A comprehensive review of the operation of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS) identified the need to undertake a review of the pricing mechanism used by the NTPF. The Minister for Health subsequently requested that the NTPF carry out a review of the pricing system. A steering group was established with representation from various departments and agencies and expert advice and stakeholder submissions were sought. The terms of this review were to:
- Ensure value for money and economy, with the lowest possible administrative costs for clients and the State and administrative burden for providers;
- Increase the transparency of the pricing mechanism so that existing and potential investors can make as informed decisions as possible; and
- Ensure that there is adequate residential capacity for those residents with more complex needs.
Both Minister Donnelly and I have considered the review, agreed to the recommendations within, and have requested that the Department and NTPF move forward with delivery of the recommendations that they are responsible for. This review is published on Department's website.
The Safe Staffing Framework is an evidence-based methodology to determine the required nursing workforce based on patient acuity and dependency. The Framework was launched by Minister Harris, on 16 April 2018, on publication of the Final Report and Recommendations of the Taskforce on Staffing and Skill Mix for Nursing, on a Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix in General and Specialist Medical and Surgical Care Settings in Adult Hospitals (www.gov.ie/en/publication/2d1198-framework-for-safe-nurse-staffing-and-skill-mix-in-general-and-speci/). To date there have been three phases of the Safe Staffing Framework Development, Phase 3 being the Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing in Community settings, including (a) Long-Term residential care settings for older persons, (b) Community care settings, and (c) Step-down and Rehabilitation settings.
As the Deputy may be aware, the Department is currently conducting the first part of Phase 3 of the Safe Nurse and Skill Mix Framework (SSF). Phase 3 (a) will develop an evidence-based approach to determining the staffing and skill mix required in a long-term residential care setting. Staffing levels determined by the SSF are directed and implemented based on evidence from patient / resident outcomes as the key indicator of the staffing adjustment needed. This flexibility has proven successful in the previous two phases of the SSF.
The National Taskforce for Phase 3 of the SSF commenced in February 2021 and has undertaken a review of the available international evidence and selected a model for further testing. Following an open call, nine pilot sites have been chosen from across the country to test the model identified. Baseline data collection in the pilot sites will start imminently, once local governance structures are in place, with staffing adjustments expected to be made in the pilot sites in Q1 2022. Based on the evidence Phase 3 (a) will, in line with other phases, be developed into a national policy for broader implementation. This flexible, evidence-based approach to nurse staffing and skill mix will enable informed staffing levels based on patient / resident need across the variety of nursing home / residential care settings in Ireland.
