Patient charges - Officials must not delay the latest probe

CHAIRMAN of the Public Accounts Committee Michael Noonan yesterday warned that the scandal of illegal charges in nursing homes could happen again if the position on hospitals charging for safeguarding patients’ property is not clarified.

It may not be on the same scale, but the principle involved is similar.

The question is whether hospitals are entitled to charge long-stay patients for looking after their pensions, bank accounts, jewellery or property.

Because of the repayments from the illegal charges in nursing homes, many of those accounts have been swollen, collectively, by €15 million and they may have up to €1bn restored to them.

There is a school of thought that hospitals and health boards could be entitled to the interest from such monies, and that is the crux.

It would be logical to assume that the interest is on money which should never have been taken from the patients in the first place, and it would follow then that the institutions are not entitled to it.

The issue has been properly described as urgent by the new Department of Health chief Michael Scanlon and he intends to refer it to the Attorney General.

The sooner this happens, the better.