Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
1588. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 593 of 28 February 2023, if a reply will issue to the question (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17375/23]
View answerThe Health Service Executive (HSE) provides a wide range of medical aids under the Community Funded Schemes to eligible persons (as set out in the Health Act 1970) free of charge following assessment by a relevant health professional.
The HSE oversees the provision and supply of incontinence wear products for eligible persons across Ireland. Provision is based on an appropriate clinical assessment and a determination of the most appropriate products that will meet the individual’s needs. The provision of clinically appropriate incontinence wear products to eligible persons is operated by each Community Healthcare Organisation under a national tender arrangement.
As part of the National Service Improvement Programme for the Community Funded Schemes, the HSE have completed and implemented national guidelines in respect of incontinence wear products. Governance arrangements have been strengthened through the implementation of an integrated electronic management system to support the ordering, supply, and distribution of incontinence wear products across all healthcare settings, including the home delivery service.
Care for Nursing Home residents including those in private facilities like the one referred to by the Deputy can be covered under The Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), commonly referred to as Fair Deal.
The NHSS covers the cost of the standard components of long-term residential care which are:
Nursing and personal care appropriate to the level of care needs of the person
Bed and board
Basic aids and appliances necessary to assist a person with the activities of daily living
Laundry service
A person's eligibility for other schemes, such as the medical card scheme or the drugs payment scheme, is unaffected by participation in the NHSS and for this reason, medications and aids that are already prescribed for individuals under an existing scheme are not included in the services covered by the NHSS. Although the NHSS covers core living expenses, residents can still incur some costs in a nursing home, such as social programmes, newspapers or hairdressing.
Registered providers of nursing home care are obliged to provide an accessible and effective complaints procedure. Concerns about additional charges or about the services provided should in the first instance be taken up with the nursing home provider. Where an individual is not satisfied with the response they receive, they may wish to take their complaint further by seeking a review from the Office of the Ombudsman.
The Office of the Ombudsman can examine complaints about the actions of a range of public bodies and, from 24 August 2015, complaints relating to the administrative actions of private nursing homes. The Office of the Ombudsman normally only deals with a complaint once the individual has already gone through the complaint’s procedure of the private nursing home concerned.
The Ombudsman may be contacted at: Office of the Ombudsman, 18 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2, Tel. (01) 639 5600 / Lo-call (1890) 22 30 30 and via e-mail at ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.ie (website is www.ombudsman.ie).
