Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 May 2012
591 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health of the €55m in additional funding allocated to the fair deal scheme; the revised extra amount which is expected to be allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21211/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra592 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of beds expected to be provided for this year in the fair deal scheme; the number originally budgeted for in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21212/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 591 and 592 together.
The total budget for long-term residential care in 2012 is €994.7m. This is effectively the budget for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme albeit that transitional arrangements must also be facilitated from within the subhead, i.e. people in contract beds, people who choose to remain on subvention and people who were in public nursing homes prior to the commencement of the scheme. Additional funding of €55 million was originally allocated to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme for 2012. However, the Minister for Health subsequently decided to transfer €13 million of the €55 million for a pilot scheme of increased and targeted community care interventions in 2012. The Special Delivery Unit is working with the HSE to develop and implement this pilot scheme.
The decision in relation to the transfer of funding was taken following analysis of a report into the care needs assessment process (CSAR process) which determines whether a person requires long-term residential care. The report was based on an audit of 1,200 persons in long-term residential care. It found, among other things, that while in 93% of the cases long-term residential care was recommended,in 40% of the cases the individuals were not considered for interventions such as Home Care Packages. In a further 40% of the cases it is not clear if they were considered for such packages.
The HSE's National Service Plan 2012 estimated that a net additional 1,270 people would be supported under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme by end-2012. However, the €13m transfer outlined above occurred after the Plan was published. The HSE now estimates that it will support a net additional 640 people by end-2012. However, it should be noted that the pilot scheme of increased and targeted community care interventions being developed by the Special Delivery Unit should reduce the number of people applying for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme by ensuring that as many people as possible are empowered to remain in their homes for as long as possible in line with their wishes and Government policy.
593 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the terms of reference of the review of the fair deal scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21213/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra594 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if a private company will be carrying out the review of the fair deal scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21214/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 593 and 594 together.
When the Nursing Homes Support Scheme was introduced in October 2009, a commitment was made to review its operation after three years. The reason for allowing this period to elapse is to ensure that trends and statistics will be available in order to inform the work. The Terms of Reference for the review are being finalised at present. The Department will be seeking tenders through the public procurement process for the carrying out of the review.
595 Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the current waiting list for the fair deal scheme; the mean average wait; the same figures for this time last year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21215/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs of 17 April, all applications for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme which had been determined on or before 16 April had been approved for funding. Therefore, there is no placement list for funding at present.
On average, applications for the Scheme take between 4 to 6 weeks to process, from receipt of completed application to date of determination. Depending on the level of complexity of the individual case, processing of the application may take longer. For example, in cases where ancillary State support is sought, additional factors may impact on the timeframe, e.g. the HSE must establish title of a property before a decision can be made and establishing title can be a lengthy process in some cases. This timeframe was the same at this time last year.
There was no placement list for funding this time last year. The placement list for funding only came into effect when the scheme re-commenced in June 2011 following a one month suspension while the examination of funding was being carried out. As the Nursing Homes Support Scheme is resource capped, the placement list is critical in facilitating the HSE to operate within the budget for the scheme. It also ensures equity of access to funding nationally because applicants are placed on the list in chronological order by date of determination of their application.
