Friday 15th November 2019
The HSE published its Service Plan 2019. It commits a one-off €26 million spend to support the HSE in alleviating pressures upon acute hospitals over the Winter period. Of the €26 million, €17.2 million is being allocated to support timely transitions to nursing home care. This allocation entails:
€13 million in additional funding for the Fair Deal scheme
€4.2 million in additional funding for transitional care
The plan states the funding is aimed at reducing the numbers delayed discharged in our acute hospitals. NHI is of the view the investment by Government signifies the essential role fulfilled by private and voluntary nursing homes in providing care in the community, removed from our acute hospitals.
Members attending NHI Annual Conference will have noted Minister for Health Simon Harris committed to publish the review of the Fair Deal pricing mechanism in the coming weeks and his Department will be meeting with NHI prior to its publication, in advance of "trying to implement some of the recommendations that I believe will support and help the nursing home sector".
Of significant note, he also stated: "It’s been a tough number of years to be a nursing home owner. You’ve been asked to make big changes – changes I will absolutely stand over, changes in relation to HIQA guidelines and regulations, but changes that have been stressful, and changes that have come at a cost. And you haven’t been remunerated for that cost. So we need to look at how we can rebuild our relationship based on mutual respect because we are all in this together."
As per NHI statement, we will be seeking to meet the Minister this month to follow up on his commitments to address Fair Deal fees for private and voluntary nursing homes.
