Nursing Homes Ireland

Lobbying Organisation Nursing Homes Ireland

Date published 26 May, 2017

Relevant Matter Legislation

Public Policy Area Health

Period 1 Jan, 2017 to 30 Apr, 2017

Specific Details A funding model that recognises the reality of costs incurred to provide nursing home care; unsustainable cost pressures being incurred within private and voluntary nursing homes due to State inflation and requirement for such costs be recognised in fees payable; introduction of an independent appeals process under the Fair Deal scheme; implementation of a workforce plan that encompasses substantial growth in gerontological care; establishment of a forum on long-term care.

Intended results To advance the specific issues outlined on behalf of the private and voluntary nursing home sector, NHI members.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Tadhg Daly, NHI CEO

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? Yes

What is the directive you gave to the grassroots campaigners? To impress upon TDs and Senators in County Galway the necessity for the HSE to apply fair procedure to enable patients within UCHG being discharged for convalescent care to be provided with choice with regard to the residential care setting from which they can receive care. The issue arose following issuing by HSE of a tender seeking to procure six beds within a limited radius to provide such care. The tender, in our view, would deny and limit persons choice as to where they can avail of important convalescent care.

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Submission (1)

Submission to Public Accounts Committee and its Chair Deputy Seán Fleming responding to previous HSE submission to the Committee regarding cost of care in HSE nursing homes. The NHI submission: • Criticised non-accountability with regard to how HSE fees are deciphered • Criticised lack of transparency applied to public nursing home costs • Informed key costs that private and voluntary nursing homes have to absorb within the much reduced fees payable to them are not encompassed with HSE fees, such as capital costs, commercial rates • Questioned the status / purpose of HSE reviews of costs within its own operated nursing homes • Challenged HSE pronouncements re its role in providing high dependency care • Questioned level of spend earmarked by the State for capital works on HSE nursing homes.

Letter (1)

Representation to the National Treatment Purchase Fund advancing the considerable hike in commercial rates are specifically acknowledged and explicitly provided for by NTPF in its engagement with individual nursing homes.

Meeting (1)

Meeting with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe TD to impress upon him the direct impact increases in public expenditure have upon private and voluntary nursing homes.

Submission (1)

Briefing to Senator Colm Burke, to inform a meeting with Minister for Health Simon Harris regarding the intrinsic role of nursing homes in supporting healthcare delivery in Ireland, and imperative requirement to place nursing home care on a sustainable footing.

Letter (1)

Representation to Deputy Willie O'Dea regarding proposed amendment to the Nursing Home Support Scheme Act. Funding for specific care elements must remain ring-fenced and persons should not be denied funding support for the care most appropriate to their needs due to failure by the State to adequately resource specialist care.

Meeting (1)

Meeting with Minister with Responsibility for Older People Helen McEntee TD to discuss uptake and promotion of the flu vaccine within nursing homes.

Letter (1)

Invitation to Minister for Health Simon Harris TD to open NHI Annual Conference 2017

Letter (1)

Invitation to Minister with Responsibility for Older People Helen McEntee TD to be guest of honour at Annnual NHI Care Awards

Submission (1)

Briefing to Minister for Health and political party health spokespersons to inform of bed availability within nursing homes during Winter A & E crisis.

Meeting (1)

Meeting with Minister Helen McEntee to inform of the challenges facing nursing home care providers in the provision of care, with fees payable for provision of care, challenges in the recruitment of nurses and carers, and requirement for workforce planning being key issues outlined.

Meeting (1)

Meeting with Deputy Mary Butler TD, Fianna Fáil Older People spokesperson, to inform of role of nursing home care in meeting older person and wider health service healthcare needs. NHI advanced the issues threatening the sustainability of nursing home care, including funding model failings and the pressures upon providers in the recruitment and retention of nurses and carers. Advanced requirement for an improved funding model and workforce planning.

Letter (1)

To Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar to inform of NHI submission to the Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation and Expert Group on Future Skills Needs advancing the removal of health care assistants from ineligible lists for work permits. To advance requirement for State lead in developing comprehensive workforce planning strategy to plan for future healthcare needs of our increasing older population.

Submission (1)

Submission to the Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation and Expert Group on Future Skills advancing candidates who apply for registration with NMBI to work as a registered nurse be given permission to work as a carer while their registration application is being processed (subject to appropriate vetting being fulfilled).

Phone call (1)

With Minister for Older People Helen McEntee TD to inform of bed capacity within private and voluntary nursing homes to support acute hospitals during period of severe overcrowding.

Phone call (1)

With Senator Pádraig Ó Céidigh to brief regarding the tender issued by UCHG limiting choice of patients being discharged from UCHG as to where they can avail of respite care.

Phone call (2-5)

Conversations with Senator Colm Burke regarding cost pressures upon nursing homes due to funding model not recognising true costs and the requirement to plan for gerontological needs of our ageing population.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Paschal Donohoe TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Éamon Ó Cuív TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Hildegarde Naughton TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Anne Rabbitte TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Seán Canney TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Catherine Connolly TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Ciaran Cannon TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Noel Grealish TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Simon Harris Minister (Department of Health)

Billy Kelleher TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Louise O'Reilly TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Seán Fleming TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Mary Butler TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Pádraig Ó Céidigh Senator (Seanad)

Leo Varadkar Minister (Department of Social Protection)