Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 6 Feb 2001

Vol. 529 No. 4

Written Answers. - Care of the Elderly.

Rory O'Hanlon

Ceist:

170 Dr. O'Hanlon asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a number of elderly people who are unable to gain admission to the health board's hospitals for the elderly in their own home area because they do not have a medical card or are not deemed to be private patients; if he will ensure that the elderly who need long stay care may be admitted to the health board's own residential care units under the same conditions as if they were being placed in a private nursing home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3115/01]

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Dr. Moffatt)

Entitlement to health services in Ireland is primarily based on means. Any person, regardless of nationality, who is accepted by the health boards as being ordinarily resident in Ireland is entitled to either full eligibility – category 1, that is, medical card holders – or limited eligibility – category 2 – for health services. Persons in category 1 are medical card holders and they are entitled to a full range of services including general practitioner services, prescribed drugs and medicines, all in-patient public hospital services in public wards, including consultants services, all out-patient public hospital services, including consultants services, dental, ophthalmic and aural services and appliances, and a maternity and infant care service.

The role of the health boards in relation to private nursing homes as provided for in the Health (Nursing Homes) Act, 1990, is two fold – first, to ensure high standards of accommodation in the homes and, second, to operate a subvention scheme towards the cost of nursing home care. Under the Nursing Homes Act, health boards are empowered to pay a subvention where a person has been assessed on the grounds of means and dependency as provided for in the Nursing Homes (Subvention) Regulations 1993 to 1998, which set down the requirements for this assessment. It is important to point out that, subject to a means test, a person will only be entitled to a subvention if they fulfil the dependency criteria laid down in the Subvention Regulations, 1993.

An expenditure review of the nursing home scheme is currently being undertaken by my Department in association with the Department of Finance and is expected to be completed shortly. The Deputy will be aware of the shortcomings in the operation of the scheme highlighted in the Ombudsman's recently published report and a number of measures have already been taken to deal with some of these problems. It is my intention to bring proposals to Government in relation to whatever further measures may be necessary arising from the findings of this review and the report of the Ombudsman and experience gained from the operation of the scheme since its inception in 1993.