State turns the screw on private nursing homes

ON behalf of Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) members, I would like to echo the concerns expressed by the Board of Cobh Community Hospital in your report headlined ‘Friends of Cobh hospital plead to keep it open’ (July 16).

What we have seen take place is that the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has negotiated rates that fail to value private and voluntary nursing home care at the same level as public nursing home care.

This despite the fact that the care provided by private and voluntary nursing homes matches that of public facilities.