Admittance to a health board extended care facility is based primarily on an assessment of medical need. The role of the health boards in relation to private nursing homes as provided for in the Health (Nursing Homes) Act, 1990, is twofold – to ensure high standards of accommodation in the homes, and, 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.
With the exception of persons applying for subvention, following determination by the chief executive officer of a health board under article 4.3 of the subvention regulations, a person must apply for a subvention prior to entering a private nursing home. Article 11.1 of subvention regulations provides that a decision on payment and the amount to be paid, must be advised to the applicant within eight weeks of the completed application. It is also open to a person to request that a board outline the charges to be imposed on a patient prior to admittance to a health board extended care facility.
I would also like to advise the Deputy that copies of the Statutory Instruments containing all the regulations made under the Health (Nursing Homes) Act, 1990, including how assets are treated for the purposes of assessing means are available from Government publications.
