Supports for patients in Clare under the Fair Deal scheme are now the lowest in the country.
A new report has revealed nursing homes are receiving around €930 per bed per week.
The latest survey jointly undertaken by BDO and Nursing Homes Ireland show that support for patients in Clare is more than 280 euro less per week per bed than in Dublin, where the highest rate of more than 1,200 is paid.
Average Fair Deal rates in this county have risen by more than 12.5% since 2014, when it stood at 811 euro here.
Clare’s supports under the scheme are significantly below the national average, which is admittedly skewed by Dublin’s rates.
Across a full year, the difference per bed in Clare compared to the capital would be more than €14,600.
While Fair Deal rates have increased by an average of 13.3 percent since the last similar report into the matter was published in 2014, staff costs have climbed by 23.5 percent in the same timeframe.
Clare has approximately 1 private nursing home bed per 27 residents aged over 65 across the county, broadly similar to neighbours Limerick, but less beds per person than the likes of Galway and Dublin.
The overall report suggests that the sector needs an investment of approximately €500 million to address what it says are ‘unmet’ challenges if there isn’t to be a ‘significant’ loss of beds.
