Nursing homes’ funding fear over new standards

PRIVATE nursing home owners have warned the Government they won’t be able to comply with new quality standards unless they receive funding from the Department of Health.

A letter has been written to Health Minister Mary Harney outlining concerns about the costs of meeting the regulatory standards and requesting the completion of a regulatory impact analysis as outlined in the Government white paper published three years ago.

Private nursing homes do not get annual funding from the State. The HSE pays for private nursing care for elderly people if the person is entitled to a public bed and one isn’t available in a public facility.