Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 November 2021
1064. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if the fair deal budget for 2022 will be cognisant of the escalating cost environment nursing homes are operating in and recognise cost increases within it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53116/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe amount of funding allocated for Long Term Residential Care in Budget 2022 is in excess of €1.049 billion which represents an increase of €5million on 2021 levels of funding. In Budget 2022 €30 million will be provided for new developments for Older Person’s Services of which €17.6 million will be allocated for the implementation of the COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel Report, with a focus on Community Support Teams, safe staffing and safeguarding of residents. Details of how this will be delivered in 2022 will be finalised as part of the National Service Plan process.
The Temporary Assistance Payment Scheme (TAPS) was established in April 2020 as a temporary administrative measure in response to the challenges faced by the nursing home sector at the start of the pandemic. As of 27th October 2021, 8,134 claims had been submitted as part of the Scheme. In total, €134.5 million has been made available under TAPS between 2020 and 2021.
While applications for standard assistance have not been accepted since the end of June when the Scheme ended, TAPS has broadly fulfilled its temporary purpose of providing financial support to nursing homes to address COVID-19. Although the risk is greatly reduced, it has not been completely eliminated, therefore the outbreak assistance element of the Scheme will continue to be available to nursing homes until the end of 2021.
As the pandemic has continued, many further support measures for private and voluntary nursing homes have been made available through the Health Service Executive (HSE), including the provision of PPE on a no-cost basis, the implementation of serial testing, the support and engagement of COVID-19 response teams and public health teams, the temporary accommodation scheme for nursing home staff and further supports. Many of these supports will continue to be provided by the HSE for the foreseeable future.
