Clarity on Nursing Home fees welcome but too late for thousands – Mattie McGrath
Independent TD Mattie McGrath has welcomed confirmation that greater transparency on how so called ‘Top-Up’ fees are calculated for Nursing Home residents is set to be introduced. Deputy McGrath was speaking as The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) prepares to launch its guidance on legally binding guidelines for contracts of care in nursing homes:
“This is a significant and welcome move that should provide families and residents with the kind of protections we have been calling for for some years now.
As far back as 2015 I was calling on then Health Minister, Leo Varadkar, to explain to South Tipperary participants why they were paying an average €26000 extra per year to access the Fair Deal Scheme when compared to participants in North Tipperary.
So this is not a new problem; where costs that cannot be considered proportionate are being imposed.
Families have continually come to me over the years annoyed at the way they feel that their loved ones were being exploited for services that should be considered routine care.
Thankfully, and even if it is almost five years later, this government and its regulatory authorities seems to be waking up to the scale of the problem.
That being said this new move by the CCPC will do nothing in terms of reimbursing families who may have lost thousands in hidden fees over the course of a family members stay in nursing home care.
Addressing that element of the proposals is something we still to work on,” concluded Deputy McGrath.