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Budget 2010, Minister Brady Welcomes Additional Long-Term Care Supports

10 December 2009

Áine Brady, T.D., Minister for Older People, today (10 December, 2009) welcomed the acknowledgement in the Budget of the demographic pressures on the health service and the provision of funding to address these.

The Budget has provided an additional €97 million to support the full-year costs of the new Nursing Homes Support Scheme in 2010. This funding, which is in addition to the €55 million provided for the scheme in 2009, takes account of anticipated growth in the numbers needing care as a result of demographic trends and should enable the successful implementation of the scheme next year. The budget also provided €10 million to expand the Home Care Package (HCP) Initiative to meet need arising from demographic changes.

In welcoming the budget announcement, the Minister noted that the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, A Fair Deal, was a critical development in terms of offering assurance to one of the most vulnerable groups in society- those in need of long-term nursing home care- that such care will be affordable and will remain affordable for as long as they need it.

However, she also highlighted that, while a lot of emphasis has gone into funding nursing home care, overall Government policy is to maintain and support older people at home and in their communities. She noted how the expansion of the Home Care Package Initiative within the Budget reinforces the Government’s commitment to this policy.

Home Care Packages, introduced in 2006, are packages of care tailored to the needs of individuals whose needs cannot be met by mainstream Primary, Community and Continuing Care (PCCC) services. They consist of enhanced supports over and above existing mainstream community services, the objective of which is to maintain older people at home and in their communities. They are also targeted towards those at risk of inappropriate admission to long-term care or acute hospitals, or those who require discharge home from acute hospital. In 2009, the Government provided €120 million to the HSE to cater for approximately 11,500 clients over the course of the year and this additional funding of €10m will enable a further 1,000 clients to receive this valuable service in 2010. These additional Home Care Packages will be targeted at system pressure points around the country, in fulfilment of one of the recommendations of the recently published report on the Evaluation of Home Care Packages. Minister Brady also indicated her commitment to progressing all of the recommendations regarding this scheme with the HSE in 2010.

The Minister stated, “At a time of severe budgetary constraint, these measures should be seen as part of Government’s ongoing commitment to protect some of the most vulnerable sections in our society. I will be working closely, on behalf of older people, with the HSE and the other organisations involved in this area during 2010 to make sure that all older people’s services are delivered as efficiently and effectively as possible.”