HSE's special fund attracts little interest

Only 13 individuals or families who received compensation arising from the illegal nursing home charges controversy have made contributions to the special fund established by the Government to improve facilities for older persons or those with disabilities.

The fund was established last year under legislation establishing the nursing home repayment scheme. Recipients could make donations which would be used to improve patient comforts.

However, the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, has told the Dáil that up to the end of September the fund had received €16,583 in contributions.

More than €83 million has been paid out so far to claimants under the nursing home repayment scheme which compensates patients and their estates for charges illegally levied for nearly 30 years on persons in long-term residential care.

Ms Harney said she had been informed by the Health Service Executive (HSE), which administers the fund, that up to the end of September there had been 161 expressions of interest from recipients in making a donation.

However, only 13 donations had actually been received up to that point.

"The HSE has also informed my department that many claimants who have expressed an interest in making a donation have indicated that they would make their donation directly to their local institution," Ms Harney said.

According to the Minister, the fund had been established "for the purposes of implementing improvements in the public health services provided to dependent older persons and persons with disabilities".

"Donations received will be used to improve facilities in the institution or service specified by the donor," she said.

"All donated monies will be used for the benefit of the patient and will be used to provide items of a non-recurring nature including patient comforts."

Ms Harney said that since the commencement of the repayment scheme, over 30,000 claims had been received.

"To date, over 4,120 payments totalling over €82.3 million have been issued while 6,501 offers of repayment totalling over €123.8 million have been made," she said.

"All eligible applications received prior to the closing date will be repaid in full and an appropriate provision will be made as necessary to meet any costs arising under the scheme," she said.

Ms Harney said that the health service had advised that the private administration costs associated with the scheme were capped at

€15 million exclusive of VAT and that the scheme administrator, KPMG/McCannFitz- gerald, had received €1 million to date in payment.

"The scheme administrator and the HSE are confident that all claims submitted by eligible applicants by December 31st, 2007 will be dealt with within the two-year time frame allotted for the scheme which is due to end in July 2008," she said.