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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 5 Nov 2002

Vol. 556 No. 3

Written Answers. - Nursing Home Subventions.

Gerard Murphy

Ceist:

488 Mr. Murphy asked the Minister for Health and Children when he will allocate sufficient funding to the Southern Health Board for enhanced subvention in order that a person (details supplied) in County Cork can get the enhanced subvention which they are entitled to. [19782/02]

As the Deputy is aware, sections 22.3 and 22.4 of the Nursing Home (Subvention) Regulations, 1993, allow health boards the discretion 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 each health board in the context of meeting the requirements of the subvention scheme within the board's revenue allocation as notified annually in the letters of determination. This is in keeping with the provisions of the Health (Amendment)(No 3) Act, 1996.

The Southern Health Board has received a significantly increased number of claims from patients for enhanced payments in accordance with Articles 22.3 and 22.4. It is a matter for the board to determine the extent to which it can meet such claims consistent with its requirement to live within its overall revenue allocation and taking account of the fact that such enhanced payments are discretionary. However, in the interest of avoiding hardship to individual patients, my Department has been in regular contact with the board in an effort to find a solution which would take cognisance of the considerations outlined above. This solution involves the payment of enhanced subventions on quite a significant scale.

In 1997, the funding available for the scheme was £27 million (€34.3 million), in 2001, the sum was £52 million (€66.03 million) and in 2002 the funding available is €101.4 million. In recognition of the issues involved, my Department made significant additional resources of over £1.2 million (€1.52 million) available to the Southern Health Board at the end of 2001. Furthermore, the Southern Health Board received an additional €4.24 million this year including a sum of €2.64 million to respond to extra pressures on the scheme.
It is the Department's intention to remain in contact with the health board on this issue. However, as the responsibility for the provision of health services in the Southern Health Board area rests with the board itself, my Department has asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the particular case raised by the Deputy and reply to him directly.
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