Stricter checks for Fair Deal users

The assets of applicants to the Fair Deal nursing home scheme should be subject to stricter checks amid warnings that residents are underdeclaring the value of their homes or wealth, a new report recommends.

Nursing home applicants in future could face tougher financial data checks, greater scrutiny of their wealth, and have their properties assessed by HSE-appointed valuers, the report says.

The Government pledged that, despite concerns about how to care for an ageing population, there will be no increased contribution expected from Fair Deal home residents.