State to cut funding for 630 nursing home beds

An older persons’ group has hit out at the Government’s plans to cut €13m from the Fair Deal scheme’s private beds budget, claiming it will put yet more pressure on the public system.

Age Action Ireland spokesman Eamon Timmins raised concerns after it emerged the scheme’s budget was being reduced from €68m to €55m.

The move effectively means that 630 of the thousands of Fair Deal scheme beds available in private nursing homes will no longer be funded by the State, with anyone seeking the private beds instead facing paying for the service themselves.