Hospital cautions patients over failure to apply for home care

A NUMBER of elderly patients at Beaumont Hospital have been put on two weeks’ notice that they face a weekly bill of €1,365 if they fail to apply for nursing home support under the State’s Fair Deal scheme.

Yesterday, a spokesperson for the Dublin hospital said they had written to 23 patients and their families cautioning that they will incur the substantial charge if they fail to return their application forms by March 26.

The spokesman said the advisory letters had been sent to patients or nominated family contacts who had already been assessed as requiring long-term care but who had so far failed to complete the required Nursing Home Support Scheme application form. He said the forms had yet to be returned despite repeated requests.