Department stance on nursing home charges criticised

OMBUDSMAN Emily O’Reilly has criticised the Department of Health for failing to provide her predecessor with legal advice and evidence relating to nursing home charges when the office was investigating complaints made by medical card holders.

She said that if the ombudsman had received this material it could have alerted the Oireachtas to take action over a decade ago and avoided the massive repayment bill - now estimated at around €1 billion - being faced by the Government.

“Had the matter been resolved in 1991-1992, when there were intensive discussions between the department and the Ombudsman, a very substantial portion of the overpayments (now required to be refunded) would never have arisen,” said Ms O’Reilly in a submission to the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children.