Press release
Minister for Mental Health and Older People announces new €10 million scheme to support resident safety in nursing homes
From Department of Health
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New scheme will see up to €25,000 available to each qualifying nursing home for relevant works to comply with HIQA Regulations.
Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler, has announced a new €10 million scheme to improve infection prevention and fire safety in private and voluntary nursing homes.
The Nursing Home Resident Safety Improvement (RSI) Scheme will provide funding towards structural works carried out in compliance with the standards published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) under Regulation 27 (Protection against infection) and Regulation 28 (Fire precautions). The scheme will commence on 1 January 2024.
Minister Butler said:
“This important new €10 million resident safety improvement scheme for the nursing home sector will assist nursing homes in meeting HIQA regulations. I am aware that these necessary works to meet HIQA compliance can prove costly for nursing homes, especially for smaller, voluntary and older nursing homes, and the aim of this scheme is to alleviate some of the financial pressures this may cause.
“Up to €25,000 will be available to each qualifying nursing home for eligible works under this scheme. Nursing homes may also claim retrospectively for works covered by this scheme if they were carried out since 1 January 2020.
“At all times, my focus is on the safety and wellbeing of residents. As our population ages it is important that older people and their families are reassured that we meet the best possible standards in supporting older people in long-term residential care facilities.”
The closing date for applications for this scheme is 15 November 2024.
The Nursing Home Resident Safety Improvement Scheme (‘RSI scheme’)
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This scheme is designed to support improvements in resident safety through funding support for the implementation of compliance plans consistent with the standards published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) under Regulation 27 (Protection against infection) and Regulation 28 (Fire precautions) of S.I. No. 415/2013 - Health Act 2007 (Care and Support of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2013.
This scheme is a vouched scheme which is open to all operational voluntary and private nursing homes registered with HIQA and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) as of 1 January 2024.
The launch date for this scheme is 1 January 2024, and the closing date for applications is 15 November 2024.
Nursing homes which have previously carried out structural works covered under this scheme can claim the cost of these works if they were carried out from 1 January 2020 to the commencement of this scheme (1 January 2024).
Nursing homes whose applications are approved will have their payments processed and released on a quarterly basis by the Health Service Executive (HSE).
This vouched scheme will have claims processed by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) and all payments from the scheme fund distributed by the HSE. All claims must be made for each nursing home facility on an individual basis.
All works claimed and carried out under this scheme will be subject to inspection and must be carried out by a registered contractor.
All works funded through this scheme should be used to fund works in line with the compliance plan outlined to HIQA as part of their inspection process.
The Budget 2024 allocation of funding for this scheme is €10 million.
The total maximum amount that can be claimed by an individual nursing home under this scheme is €25,000.