Patients to pay for Fair Deal shortfall

LONG-STAY patients in some nursing homes are facing increased charges in order to make up a shortfall in funding for the Government’s Fair Deal scheme.

The processing of applications to Fair Deal — under which the patient makes a contribution to the cost of care and the state pays the balance — will resume from Monday.

An estimated backlog of 2,200 applications under the scheme will be processed, Health Minister James Reilly has pledged.

Processing of applications had been frozen last month after it emerged that an estimated €100 million meant for the scheme — one-tenth of its annual budget — was diverted elsewhere.

Dr Reilly ordered the HSE to review the scheme on foot of the revelations.

Speaking in the Dáil, Dr Reilly detailed the main findings of that review and the decisions the Government was taking:

* Processing of new applications will resume from Monday;

* Long-stay charges for patients in homes operating under old arrangements outside of Fair Deal will increase to raise an extra €12m and help close the shortfall in funding;

* Recently increased fees for private nursing home operators will be renegotiated to save €20m;

* Non-service related spending cut by €30m.

Dr Reilly said the HSE review had not been as comprehensive as he had wished and he would commission a wider review. He has tasked his department with monitoring the scheme on an ongoing basis. He is also considering the use of external auditors.

Yesterday’s review showed that part of the reason for the shortfall was that spending on services unrelated to accommodation had exceeded its budget. While it was thought €100m had been spent on services such as drugs, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, only €48m was actually spent on these.

The review also found that an increase in the average length of time patients were spending in care — from two-and-a-half years in 2009 to four years today — had put pressure on Fair Deal funding.

The scheme will cover 24,000 patients by the end of the year, which will also include 1,700 new applications this year.

Opposition parties welcomed that the processing of applications was to resume, but voiced concern about an estimated 800 patients waiting in hospitals for admissions during the freezing of the scheme. The minister said these applications would be prioritised.

Independent TD Richard Boyd Barrett said long-term inpatient charges should not be hiked to pay for the funding shortfall.

Age Action welcomed the resumption of application approvals but said many people were still waiting for their care submissions under the scheme to be processed.

Spokesman Eamon Timmins also said that any increase in long-stay, in-patient charges must ensure that nursing home residents were left with sufficient “comfort money”.