Cork nursing home residents' families to mount further Fair Deal protests

Families of 56 residents have launched a blistering attack on the minister for older people
Cork nursing home residents' families to mount further Fair Deal protests

Mary Butler, the minister for older people, has been criticised by the families of those affected. Picture: Gerard McCarthy

The families of 56 residents of a Cork nursing home at the centre of a Fair Deal funding crisis have launched a blistering attack on the minister for older people as they plan more protests at the offices of senior cabinet members.

The relatives mounting a high-profile campaign for their loved ones — who risk losing their homes at Beaumont Residential Care (BRC) — will protest again today outside the constituency offices of Tánaiste Micheál Martin, Finance Minister Michael McGrath, and Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney.

It comes as talks continue between BRC operators, CareChoice, and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), over the Fair Deal funding rate CareChoice says it needs to keep its 56 residents on the scheme in the care home.

Last week, CareChoice, which runs 14 care homes countrywide, announced it was pulling BRC from the Fair Deal scheme because of what it described as a lack of funding from the NTPF, prompting the families of those affected to mount protests outside the cabinet members’ offices.

Then last Friday, CareChoice announced a U-turn on its withdrawal of BRC and confirmed it has signed up for another month to allow space for negotiation with the NTPF.

In the meantime, the families criticised Mary Butler, the minister for older people, over the funding crisis and accused her of trying to stop them from ramping up their campaign. They said it appears as if the minister had “selectively chosen” to write to a small number of the families involved, but not the families of all the residents, to assure them that alternative accommodation would be sought.

Rosie Roccaforte, whose mother is one of the long-term residents facing an uncertain future, said the minister’s actions are wrong for several reasons.

We have no faith at all in Mary Butler and we find it troubling that the minister would turn to blocking our progress at this stage with vague promises.

"We have no choice but to take this to the Taoiseach directly.

“It appears to us that Minister Butler is trying to reassure some of the more vocal families involved that she will secure alternative accommodation, but she is not offering this to all residents.

“The real issue is that we don’t want alternative accommodation — we want our loved ones to remain in Beaumont Residential Care, as they are perfectly entitled to.”

Mary Butler said she understands how distressing this situation has been for residents, their families and the staff of the nursing home.

She said the NTPF and the care home operators “need to be given space and time to go through the agreed process”. 

“Engagement between the nursing home provider and the NTPF is the only way to resolve this issue,” she said.

“Should services no longer be available from the nursing home provider under Fair Deal, residents must either be catered for within the existing system, or, ultimately, the HSE will step in as the statutory provider of last resort.

“The HSE will always support families in a situation where a private nursing home is no longer able or willing to provide care under Fair Deal to a loved one.“

CareChoice has said the current NTPF rate of support of €1,085 per Fair Deal resident per week at BRC was just not sustainable. 

It received a €16 rise in the rate but the HSE has increased the rate paid to publicly-run nursing homes by €183 per resident, per week. 

The care group said it needs a minimum of €1,270 per resident per week — an extra €580,000 per year — to continue providing Fair Deal care at BRC.

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