Bill for Private Nursing Home Care soars to Euro 1,300 ($2,041) Per Week

By Eilish O'Regan, Irish Independent

April 8, 2008

Ireland

The weekly cost of private nursing home care in some areas is now as high as €1,330, leaving residents and families with bills of more than €67,000 a year, a new report revealed yesterday.

Costs are highest in the east coast, partly due to higher land values, and lowest in the north west, where average weekly rates are €607.

The results of the independently commissioned survey were released by the organisation Nursing Homes Ireland which said staff, who now must provide more specialised care for a growing number of dependent residents, now make up 60pc of a nursing home's costs.

The survey found that 88pc of all residents in nursing homes are now in the medium to high dependency category. One-third had been diagnosed with dementia.

Launching the report, Health Minister Mary Harney said she was in discussions with Environment Minister John Gormley to try to get more land zoned for healthcare use.

This would have the effect of bringing down land prices and allowing nursing home owners to build nearer towns and cities rather than in less accessible areas.

Tadhg Daly , chief executive of Nursing Homes Ireland, said they would be taking up the minister's invitation to make a submission on the issue.

Around half of the payments to nursing homes are in the form of Health Service Executive (HSE) subventions to nursing home residents.

In the east coast the average annual turnover for a nursing home owner is €2m and is lowest in the north west at €621,500.

The dependence on private nursing homes is borne out by figures showing there are now 18,883 private nursing beds compared to 9,675 in the public sector.

Planning approval was granted for another 20 private homes last year.

Food costs are also a "significant expense" and make up 5.9pc of costs. The average annual food bill per resident is €1,962, a 10.7pc increase over 2006. The report said it has become increasingly common for larger nursing home to employ a Director of Nursing to oversee the care and management of the home. Their average gross salaries were found to be €55,720.

The survey found that 43pc of nurses employed in the homes were from outside the European Union - another 6pc were from the EU, excluding Ireland.

The average length of stay for a nursing home resident is nearly four years. The overall trend in new homes is larger facilities and a move away from rooms with a number of residents.

Around 45.9pc were single ensuite and 18.1pc were single rooms. One-quarter were double rooms and 10.7pc were for a number of residents.

The minister said she was still intent on bringing forward legislation to introduce the Fair Deal system of payment for nursing home care which involves a levy on the older person's estate. However, this is taking longer than planned because of legal difficulties.

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