Vol. 503 No. 3
324 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health and Children the amount of funding allocated to the Eastern Health Board in 1998 to pay for private nursing home places for public patients in order to alleviate pressure on acute beds in Dublin hospitals; if he will allocate fund ing to the other health boards for this purpose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9608/99]
The 1998 letter of determination to the Eastern Health Board included £4.2 million for the contracting of 270 beds in private nursing homes throughout the board's area, the majority of which were for the purpose of alleviating pressure on acute beds in Dublin hospitals.
In November 1998, additional funding of £150,000 was made available to the Eastern Health Board to contract a further 65 beds in private nursing homes. The Eastern Health Board has informed me that these additional beds enabled patients to be transferred from acute hospitals in the Dublin area who had been medically assessed as requiring long stay care and who were inappropriately occupying acute hospital beds. These 65 beds have been retained in 1999 at a full year cost of approximately £1 million which is being funded by my Department.
Arising from the report of the review group on the waiting list initiative and pending the provision of more comprehensive services for older people and for persons who receive rehabilitation and long-term care in the acute hospital setting, health boards and voluntary hospitals have been requested to make arrangements for the appropriate post-hospital care of such persons. In particular, the Minister has asked health boards and the voluntary hospitals to consider the following measures:
(i) the development of a network of private nursing home places, as satellite "step-down" facilities, around each acute hospital. It is envisaged that acute hospitals would, under the waiting list initiative, make arrangements with such nursing homes, by way of service agreements, to provide appropriate convalescent care to persons discharged from the hospitals. Hospitals would have access to an agreed number of places in the nursing homes and would have control over the persons admitted to these places.
(ii) Acute hospitals to be supported by district care teams, which would provide out-reach support services to persons discharged, either in step-down facilities or in their own homes. The teams would be comprised of relevant health care professionals, such as physiotherapists; occupational therapists, home helps and general practitioners and would be co-ordinated through the health board community care arrangements.
(iii) The role of district hospitals in the catchment area of the acute hospital should be maximised.
325 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will provide extra resources for the health boards to provide for the care of the growing number of elderly people assessed as being suitable for nursing home care, but who cannot afford the difference between maximum nursing home subvention and the cost of nursing homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9609/99]
339 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Health and Children the financial support, if any, available to persons who have to provide for a relative in a private nursing home; the plans, if any, he has to increase this support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9672/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 325 and 339 together.
Under the Health (Nursing Homes) Act, 1990 the health boards provide subventions to assist persons in meeting the costs of nursing home care; however, it was never intended to meet the full costs involved. It had been hoped to increase the rates of subvention this year but it has not been possible to do so as substantial additional funding in excess of £9 million has had to be provided to meet the rising costs of the scheme. The additional expenditure is due to a number of factors viz. the increase in number of people in receipt of subventions, their higher levels of dependency (resulting in more people receiving the higher rates of subventions) and the change in the regulations whereby the ability of adult sons and/or daughters over 21 years of age to contribute is no longer taken into account. The amount made available for the scheme this year is £33 million. Any possible increase in the subvention rate next year will depend on budgetary circumstances and competing priorities at the time.
