Tag Archives: Fair Deal Scheme

While there are 677,000 citizens over the age of 66 currently in Ireland, by 2050 there will be 1.8million – and it costs. The Fair Deal scheme, brought into law on 1st July 2009 and introduced on 27th October that year under the Fair Deal Act or Nursing Home Support Act, provides financial support to people who need long-term nursing home care. • Under this scheme, you make a contribution towards the cost of your care and the HSE pays the balance. The scheme covers approved private nursing homes, voluntary nursing homes and public nursing homes. You can get a list of approved nursing homes from the HSE. • Anyone who is resident in Ireland and needs long-term nursing home care can apply for the scheme. When you apply, your care needs are assessed to confirm that long-term nursing home care is the most appropriate option for you. Your financial situation is also assessed to see how much you will have to contribute towards your …

A CALL has been made for progress on changes to the Fair Deal Scheme, which funds nursing home care, in the interests of Clare’s farm families. Councillor Joe Killeen made the appeal at the March meeting of the West Clare Municipal District when he proposed that members write to Clare’s Oireachtas members on the matter. “The Fair Deal Scheme takes 7.5% of the value of a family home for a period of three years,” he noted. “If someone wishes to defer payment, the State pays, and it’s essentially a loan on the estate of the resident. For those who have a farm or a business, it’s not capped and people pay indefinitely. A family farm could be lost in 14 years. The only exemption is in the case of sudden illness or disability. The Fair Deal Reform Bill proposes capping the 7.5% payment after three years, subject to terms and conditions. I am proposing that we ask our Oireachtas members …

THE director of a West Clare nursing home has called for greater equality in funding, so that both private and public operators can meet the highest standards of care. Yvonne Moroney, Director of Nursing at St Theresa’s in Kilrush, called for an end to the current “two tiered service.” She said that the focus on nursing homes, in light of Covid-19 crisis, was an opportunity to plan for improved care of the elderly. In April, The Champion reported on the gap in State support for the private and public nursing home sectors, and published figures showing HSE-run services receiving the lion’s share. “I would like to see changes to the Fair Deal (Nursing Home Subvention) Scheme,” Ms Moroney said, “so that the private sector is paid equal to the public health system, as currently we are a two tiered service as regards financial capital and inspections. Everyone thinks the private nursing homes are getting paid more than the public nursing …

THE glaring disparity between public subvention provided to public and private nursing homes came under the spotlight this week as some residential care facilities request more personal protective equipment (PPE) to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic over the coming weeks. In a week when a local lobby group issued a public appeal for people to donate PPE, a huge gap has emerged in terms of state funding provided to different local nursing home operators. According to figures obtained by the Clare Champion, some public nursing homed are getting almost twice as much public subvention under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Fair Deal) compared with their private counterparts. Under the NHSS, the cost of care in Clare’s public nursing homes is €1,607 in St Joseph’s Community Hospital, Ennis; €1,650 in Raheen Community Nursing Unit; Ennistymon Community Unit €1,481 and Regina House Community Nursing Unit, Kilrush, €1,422. This compared to €830 for a single or shared room in St Dominic Savio Nursing …