Fair Deal, officially known as the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, is an Irish government initiative designed to provide financial support for people who need long-term nursing home care. Under this scheme, you pay a certain amount towards the cost of your care and the Health Service Executive (HSE) pays the rest, making long-term care more affordable and accessible.
How the Fair Deal Scheme Works
The Fair Deal scheme operates on a cost-sharing basis. It's managed by the Health Service Executive (HSE) and is designed to ensure that quality nursing home care is available to those who need it, regardless of their financial situation.
Key aspects of how the scheme functions include:
- Cost Sharing: Your contribution is assessed based on your income and assets, and the HSE covers the remaining cost of your care. This means you only pay what you can reasonably afford.
- Management: The scheme is centrally managed by the Health Service Executive (HSE), which assesses eligibility, calculates contributions, and manages payments to nursing homes.
- Approved Facilities: Fair Deal covers a wide range of long-term residential care settings, including:
- Approved private nursing homes
- Voluntary nursing homes
- Public nursing homes
Eligibility for Fair Deal
To be eligible for the Fair Deal scheme, you must:
- Be assessed as needing long-term nursing home care. This assessment considers your health, personal care needs, and ability to live independently.
- Meet the residency criteria, typically being ordinarily resident in Ireland.
Your Financial Contribution
Your personal contribution to the cost of your care is determined through a means test, also known as a financial assessment. This assessment looks at your income and assets.
- Income Contribution: You contribute 80% of your assessable income.
- Asset Contribution: You contribute 7.5% of the value of your assets per year.
- For the first three years of care, a cap applies to the contribution from the value of your principal private residence.
- After three years, your principal private residence is no longer included in the financial assessment, provided it remains your primary home.
This means test ensures that contributions are fair and proportionate to an individual's financial capacity, while protecting a significant portion of their assets.
Covered Services and Facilities
The Fair Deal scheme contributes towards the cost of the following in approved facilities:
- Nursing Care: All necessary nursing and personal care.
- Accommodation: Basic accommodation services.
- Food: Meals and dietary requirements.
- Laundry: Laundry services.
- Utilities: Heating and electricity.
It's important to note that some services, like physiotherapy, occupational therapy, or personal items, may not be fully covered and could incur additional charges.
Applying for Fair Deal
The application process for the Fair Deal scheme generally involves a few key steps:
- Application Form: Complete and submit the application form (NHSS 1).
- Care Needs Assessment: A healthcare professional assesses your care needs to determine if you require long-term nursing home care.
- Financial Assessment: Your income and assets are assessed to calculate your weekly contribution.
- HSE Offer: The HSE issues a Letter of Offer detailing your contribution and the amount the HSE will pay.
- Placement: Once an offer is accepted, you can find a nursing home that meets your needs and has a contract with the HSE.
Benefits of Fair Deal
The Fair Deal scheme provides significant benefits for individuals and their families:
- Financial Relief: Reduces the financial burden of long-term nursing home care, which can be very expensive.
- Access to Care: Ensures access to a wide range of approved public, private, and voluntary nursing homes.
- Peace of Mind: Provides security and assurance that long-term care needs can be met without depleting life savings entirely.
- Structured Support: Offers a clear, structured system for accessing and funding care.
For more detailed information, including application forms and current rates, you can visit the official HSE website.
