Vol. 547 No. 1
462 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans to revise the procedure whereby elderly people who take contract nursing home beds must hand over their pension to the health board in return for a small comfort payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1059/02]
A health board may pay more than the maximum rate of subvention relative to an individual's level of dependency, for example in cases where personal funds are exhausted. Following an assessment of dependency and means, as provided for in the Nursing Home (Subvention) Regulations, 1993, sections 22.3 and 22.4 of the regulations, introduced in 1996 following a review of the scheme, permit health boards to contract beds in private nursing homes and to pay more than the maximum rates of subvention in such cases. However, the application of these provisions is a matter for the individual health board concerned in the context of meeting increasing demands for subventions within available resources.
There is no provision in the nursing home subvention regulations governing this issue. Nevertheless, I understand that, for administrative purposes, a patient may opt to appoint the health board as an agent to collect their pension. In some circumstances, for example, where an applicant has been granted an enhanced subvention, a patient may opt to have the health board collect the pension on their behalf. However, such an arrangement should only be entered into for the convenience, and with the agreement, of the patient. This issue is one of a number being examined by my Department in the context of the ongoing review of the nursing home subvention scheme. It is intended to bring forward proposals at a future date, based on this review as well as the ombudsman's report and the expenditure review of the nursing home subvention scheme together with experience gained since the introduction of the scheme.
