The elderly get left out in the dark again
The private nursing home subvention scheme was introduced in 1993 when the maximum subvention equated to approximately 65% of fees payable. The level of subvention has only been increased once in the past 12 years, and the maximum subvention now payable amounts to €190 per week, which equates to approximately 30% of the cost of long-term care in a private nursing home.
A person with a pension of more than €190.42 per week does not qualify for subvention and therefore only has the option of a public facility. This contradicts the policy of the Department of Health in its promotion of a more equitable system offering choice to the customer and also compounds the public bed problem, ie, delayed discharge/bed blocking.
