Fears over repayment of nursing home fees to mentally ill patients
Des Kavanagh of the PNA said that staff were extremely nervous of the refunding of thousands of euro to former patients without any preparations.
“Thousands of former patients now reside in community residences under the care and supervision of mental health and intellectual disability services,” the general secretary said at the PNA annual conference in Tralee. “They were subject to illegal charges.”
The repayments of millions of euro have come from a decision by the State to charge elderly people for nursing home care since the mid-70s without a legal basis for the charges.
The PNA, which represents over 6,000 nurses countrywide, warned that the substantial sums will be returned to these people, some of whom have difficulty in managing their money.
Mr Kavanagh said: “Guidelines must be agreed and issued before these monies are paid out.” The nurses called for the Health Department to ask the Mental Health Commission, alongside patient representative groups, to prepare guidelines to ensure the money is protected for the patient. Mr Kavanagh said the annual report raised concerns that some of the people would be vulnerable to strong clients and long lost family members.
He said nurses were also worried that the repayment of illegal nursing home fees could mean a further drop in funds available to mental health and disability services.
“The imminent arrival to a hostel of €25-30,000 will create a unique dynamic which in itself will challenge nurses in counselling patients over its management,” he said.
