Treatment for vulnerable, elderly people hit by 'subtle cutbacks'

HSE crisis: Services for vulnerable older people are being hit, amid accusations that a cash flow crisis within the Health Service Executive is being compounded by the delay in re-introducing nursing home charges.

Fine Gael TD John Perry, who first highlighted the illegality of nursing home charges, said vulnerable people are suffering because of the current cash flow problems.

He said that while the HSE had received no instructions on how to reintroduce the charges, suppliers were not being paid while "stealth cutbacks" were having an impact on vulnerable people in the community.

A spokesman for the HSE insisted that there was no cash flow crisis and the re-introduction of the nursing home charges was imminent. He said that HSE executives who met last Friday were due to sign off on the mechanisms for reintroducing the charges.

While the HSE insisted that services had not been curtailed, Paul Murray of Age Action Ireland said the agency was getting consistent reports of "subtle" cutbacks which were affecting elderly people living alone.

"We are getting the strong impression that there are subtle cutbacks which are affecting older people who can be particularly vulnerable and who may be regarded as a soft touch," said Mr Murray.

"For example, in situations where someone used to come in twice a week to give an old person a bath, that may now be down to once a week," said Mr Murray.

He said that while such cutbacks might not seem significant, they were very important for an elderly person who was conscious of hygiene.

"If you have not had a bath, you may be reluctant to ask someone in for a cup of tea and the knock-on effect is that someone becomes isolated and depressed, said Mr Murray"

Age Action Ireland said the reports were patchy, with the situation varying in the different regions.

Mr Perry said the failure to collect the charges meant that the HSE in the north west alone was losing €1 million a month, while the figure nationwide was €12 million.

The Sligo-Leitrim deputy said he was aware of many service providers who work on a contract basis for the HSE and who were waiting for cheques long after the normal credit period had expired.

The HSE in the northwest said that services were not being curtailed, with targets being exceeded in some cases.

But in a statement it acknowledged that while it had sufficient funds to meet its obligations, on some occasions, "due to either abnormally high payment requirements or delayed cash receipts, it has been regrettably necessary to delay some payments".

Stressing that arrangements were in place to collect the long stay charges, the HSE said it understood that it would be provided with supplementary funding in lieu of the charges not legally collectable prior to June 14th last.

The Tánaiste, Mary Harney and the Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, signed the Health (Charges for In-patient Services) Regulations 2005 on June 14th, giving nursing home charges legal status.

Under the Health Act, the charges could not be levied for 30 days after the signing of the regulations.

"That would have been July 14th, but over two weeks later the HSE has still received no instructions on how to implement the new regulations," Mr Perry said.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said that the Tánaiste had put the legislation in place and it was now a matter for the HSE.