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Annual Report of the Ombudsman 2003

Chapter 3 - Southern Health Board - Shortfall in Nursing Home Fees

Southern Health Board

Shortfall in Nursing Home Fees
The complainant was a 98 year old patient in a private nursing home and had been there for the previous eight years. She was in receipt of a subvention of €96.99 from the Southern Health Board to assist with the payment of her nursing home fees and this, along with a pension from the United States of America, brought her monthly income to approximately €1,150. However, her monthly nursing home fees were €2,275 leaving a shortfall of €1,125 per month.

The matron of the nursing home wrote to a local public representative outlining the complainant's plight. The public representative then wrote to me about the case by which time the complainant had accumulated arrears of around €6,000, which was causing her considerable worry and distress. When I approached the Board regarding the possibility of an enhanced subvention I was advised there were almost five hundred individuals ahead of her on the waiting list for an enhanced subvention.

I examined the Board's Enhanced Subvention Policy and noted that it could consider cases as an immediate priority where applicants, by virtue of a crisis in relation to their individual circumstances, required immediate intervention. I suggested to the Board that in the light of this complainant's age and financial circumstances that it might consider such immediate priority in relation to her application for an enhanced subvention. The Board responded by increasing the subvention payable to €166.55 per month and saying that her position on the waiting list would be kept under review.

I was unhappy with the Board's response and requested that the matter be reviewed again. It did not seem to me that adequate consideration had been given to the complainant's worsening personal circumstances. Following a further review the Board indicated that it had decided to provide an enhanced subvention of €375.65 per week to the complainant which, along with her income of €204.43, fully covered her nursing home fees of €550 and left her with an amount equal to one fifth of the non-contributory old age pension for personal use.

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