'Fair Deal' Assurance

Older & Bolder has today welcomed the assurance the Minister has given to the 2,200 older people who are awaiting transfer to nursing homes under the Fair Deal Nursing Home Support Scheme that they will be accommodated but questions the delay of the promised 'root and branch' review.

The Minister indicated that of those awaiting transfer to nursing homes, 500 people who are experiencing a ‘delayed discharge’ in an acute hospital setting would be given priority. While Older & Bolder recognises the difficulties associated with delayed discharge from hospital the experience of older people with high needs and little support living in their own homes can be just as challenging. Older & Bolder emphasises the importance of giving equal weight to these older people for whom living in their own home is no longer a viable or safe option.

The Minister also announced that the ‘root and branch’ review of the Fair Deal system of financing nursing home care, promised under the Programme for Government, will not commence until 2012. Older & Bolder have called for this review to begin immediately so that the issue of nursing home support for vulnerable older people does not become a human rights, legal and policy minefield. Older & Bolder would welcome discussion with the Minister as to why the delay in the commencement of this vital review is necessary. 

“We know from recent consultation meetings around the country that older people are deeply concerned about the position of other older people who cannot now access nursing home care and who are on waiting lists because of the funding shortfall in the Fair Deal Scheme,” Patricia Conboy said:

Ms Conboy explained that while older people are rightly shocked at the HSE’s reallocation of €100 million, they also know that what is really needed is the development of a secure, long-term system of financing for both community and residential long-term care for older people.

Older & Bolder also welcomes the Minister’s transparency in acknowledging that he still doesn’t have full clarity on the ‘systems failure’ in the HSE that led to the ‘reallocation’ of €100 million originally intended for the Fair Deal nursing home support scheme.  

Patricia Conboy, Director of Older & Bolder said “We appreciate the Minister’s intention to get to the bottom of this issue; we need absolute clarity to ensure planning takes place in future to avoid a repetition of this ‘systems failure’.