Nursing Home Supports Scheme
What is the Nursing Homes Support Scheme?
If you need care in a nursing home, you can apply for financial support to help pay for the cost of this care through the Nursing Homes Support Scheme. The scheme is also known as Fair Deal. You pay part of the nursing home fees and HSE pay the balance. This scheme applies to public, private and voluntary
nursing homes registered with the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA). This is a statutory, government-funded agency which monitors the safety and quality of nursing homes.
You need to be approved for Fair Deal before you can receive funding for a nursing home. You can choose to pay privately for care while you wait for funding. Fair Deal funding can’t be backdated and will only be paid from the date of approval.
Please note that Fair Deal does not cover:
• short-term care such as respite, convalescent or day-care
or
• extra fees charged by the nursing home for services like hairdressing, therapies or activities. You can ask your nursing home what extra fees will need to be paid for these services. An agreement of these extra costs must be in place by the time you enter the nursing home.
Who can apply for the scheme?
Anyone who may need long-term nursing home care can apply. You must be ordinarily resident in the Republic of Ireland, which means that you have been living here for at least 1 year or you intend to live here for at least 1 year.
Choosing a nursing home
It’s important to look at different nursing homes before choosing one. You should make an appointment to visit the nursing home before making a decision. Contact your preferred nursing home as soon as possible. You will need to see if they have a place available and can meet your care needs. They may have a waiting list. If the nursing home you want does not have space, you can go to a different one temporarily. You can then apply for a transfer when space becomes available in your preferred nursing home. If you are helping someone to apply for nursing home care, involve them as much as you can in the decision. Consider their preferences and personal values before choosing a nursing home.
Nursing home inspections
The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) inspects all registered nursing homes. You can read the nursing home inspection reports on www.hiqa.ie.
How do I apply for nursing home support?
There are 4 stages to the application process:
- Application form. You need to complete and sign this application form.
- Care needs assessment. We will contact you to arrange a care needs assessment. This will assess your need for nursing home care.
- Financial assessment. We will calculate how much you will pay towards the cost of nursing home care. The amount depends on your income and assets. Your income is money you receive on a regular basis and your assets include cash, investments and property. The amount that you pay for your care depends on your income and the value of your assets. No one will pay more than the cost of their care. Your contribution will stay the same and we will pay the balance.
- Nursing home loan (Ancillary State Support) (optional). This is an optional element of the Fair
Deal scheme for people who have assets including land and property.
What is the nursing home loan?
You can apply for a nursing home loan if you own property in the Republic of Ireland. This is known as Ancillary State Support. This can be a house, land, business property or any other property. The nursing home loan is optional. If you want to apply for the loan, you should complete Part 5 of this form.
Applying for a nursing home loan can sometimes take several months as you may need to gather a lot of official documents. The HSE suggests you apply for the loan when you apply for Fair Deal funding. You do not need to accept the nursing home loan if you are approved.
Click here for full details and the form you are required to fill in Nursing Homes Support Scheme Application form and support information (hse.ie)
If you require assistance with making this important financial decision, contact us for confidential advice.
045 533100
info@mcmahonandco.ie
9 – 10 Academy Street, Kildare Town, Co. Kildare R51 NW42
