The Alliance – Supporting Nursing Homes met with Minister of Older Persons Kieran O’Donnell and had the opportunity to raise a number of critical issues impacting the nursing home sector at present and, most importantly, the delivery of care to older persons across Ireland.
Key discussions focused on:
- The sustainability of the Fair Deal Scheme amid rising energy and other operational costs.
- Delays in the delivery of new public nursing home beds, and the opportunity to seek out retrofits in public private partnerships.
- Workforce challenges, including recruitment, retention, and career pathways for healthcare assistants.
- The urgent need for reform of the Nursing Home Support Scheme (Fair Deal), including the introduction of a transparent, evidence-based cost of care framework. We presented The ©Rosetta Cost of Care Model as an alternative which aligns with the programme for Government.
- Ongoing Independent regulatory review of HIQA and the Office of the Chief Inspector. We stressed the importance of the final report being made widely available to the public and Oireachtas for further scrutiny in a constructive manner.
- Inequities in commercial rates applied to nursing homes via the Valuation Act 2001 and the requirement for a review of same.
We also welcomed confirmation that the Minister and the Department of Health will tomorrow announce a new support scheme for 2026, with a broader structure to the 2025 RPU Scheme, with funding of up to €25,000 per nursing home. This is a positive development and reflects sustained engagement and advocacy by the Alliance since pre-Budget discussions last year.
Whilst all of this is a step in the right direction, it is clear that broader structural reform is required to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector. In particular, funding must move beyond basic “bed, board, and laundry” to properly reflect the true cost and complexity of care.
We look forward to continued engagement with the Minister, the Department of Health and Government to deliver meaningful reform that supports providers, protects residents, and ensures high-quality care across the system.