Woman of 100 is kept waiting for refund

A centenarian has been waiting five months for leading accountancy and legal firms to refund illegal nursing home charges, Labour spokeswoman on health Liz McManus said.

She said that last year Minister for Health Mary Harney had announced, with "great fanfare", a repayment scheme to repay older people in residential care who were "robbed" by the State. The Minister had opted for the private sector to administer the scheme, promising that it would be faster, more efficient and more responsive.

"Last week, I was honoured to present the President's cheque to a woman in Bray who had reached the great age of 100. Since she goes three days a week to play the slot machines on Bray seafront, she can enjoy spending the money.

"However, this lady has been trying to extract her entitlement to repayment from KPMG and McCann Fitzgerald, the scheme administrators, since September 2006. We are now approaching February 2007. Not only can this lady not get the money she is owed, she cannot get any information about the payment date or why it is being delayed."

Listing a number of case histories of people who had difficulties with the health services, Ms McManus said the legisation did not go far enough.

"In terms of patient-safety, the Minister has missed the mark entirely . . . she has failed to recognise, resource and empower agencies to protect patients."

Green Party spokesman John Gormley accused the Minister of massively increasing the level of bureaucracy in the health service.

"As a result of the establishment of the HSE, bureaucracy in the main health service has increased and the level of information available has reduced."

Mr Gormley said he had a clear impression, mostly from anecdotal evidence, but also from fairly reliable sources, that everything was being done to ensure people were not on trolleys.

"This is not being done by increasing capacity, however, but by cancelling elective surgery. In addition, older people are inappropriately being pushed out of hospital into a step-down facility.

"They may then have to be readmitted because they were prematurely discharged."