Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 March 2025
672. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health the provisions in place for people who do not qualify for the fair deal scheme and have no public nursing home facilities in their locality; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13932/25]
View answerIntroduced in 2009, The Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), commonly referred to as ‘Fair Deal’, is a system of financial support for people who require long-term residential care. It is unique in Europe in that it is a fair, single, unified system for funding and making long-term residential care more accessible. Any person who is ordinarily resident in the State is eligible to apply to the scheme when it has been determined, following a care needs assessment, that nursing home care is required and is the most appropriate environment for a loved one. Participants contribute to the cost of their care according to their means, while the State pays the balance of the cost. The amount a nursing home resident pays towards the cost of their nursing home care under the NHSS is calculated based on the value of their assets and income when they apply for nursing home care. Assets assessed include cash assets (e.g. income, savings), as well as non-cash assets such as the principal private residence, other property and land, including farmland. Transferred assets and income, defined as assets or income transferred to another person up to five years before a person's application to the scheme, are also assessed. Only those applicants whose calculated weekly means exceeds the cost of care provision are ineligible to receive financial support under the terms of the scheme. Fair Deal is specifically designed to support residents, based on an individual’s means, and to ensure that people are cared for in the most appropriate settings. By making nursing home care more affordable, the scheme has increased access to necessary care for many older adults. Regardless of whether a person resides in a publicly run Community Nursing Unit or a private/voluntary operated nursing home their contribution to the cost of their own care is calculated under the same criteria, therefore the cost to the resident remains the same. The Department of Health cannot comment on how residency in a nursing home will impact their eligibility to receive other supports provided by the State. These questions should be directed to the appropriate department or agency which oversees those respective supports.
