Tipperary TD asks for urgency in the Dáil on nursing home support

Tipperary TD Michael Lowry has raised the issue of nursing home supports at leaders' questions in the Dáil today.

He said he had received numerous calls from nursing home operators in Tipperary asking for help and asked that the government intervene urgently.

"This is a national issue. The kernel of the problem is the discrimination by the State under the fair deal scheme in the resourcing of private, as opposed to public, nursing home resident care," said Mr Lowry.

Mr Lowry told the Dáil that public nursing homes receive 62% more per resident per week than what is available to pay for a person in a private nursing home.

He said that private nursing homes receive less per resident than public facilities and that they are losing staff due to issues around pay.

"Private nursing home owners are being tasked with doing the impossible, and a growing number are holding on by their fingertips in the hope that their voices will finally be heard," said Mr Lowry.

Taoiseach Michael Martin responded by saying that Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is meeting with the CEO of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to discuss the issues around nursing homes including those raised by Mr Lowry.

But, he also said the payment was negotiated between individual care homes and the NTPF, and the government does not have a say in those talks.

Taoiseach Martin went on to say that public nursing homes have higher costs as they have a higher staff-patient ratio and deal with more complex cases in general.

"That balance has to be looked at over time, but, whether private, voluntary or public care, the resident's financial contribution is the same. The price of care affects only levels of State funding and has no direct impact on the resident," said Taoiseach Martin.

He also said the State had provided significant funding to private and voluntary nursing homes.

€134 million to €135 million in additional funding was provided during the pandemic, according to the Taoiseach.

Mr Lowry welcomes Ms Butler's meeting with relevant parties but said that talks have been going on for years.

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He also said he could not understand why they were 62% higher in public facilities.

"If the Taoiseach does not bring this matter to a conclusion and if it is not addressed successfully, the doors of private nursing homes in every town and village across Ireland will be forced to close.

"Public nursing homes will not be able to meet the demand for elderly care, and we may then have a very serious issue, said Mr Lowry.