NEWS RELEASE FROM THE
REGISTERED NURSING HOME ASSOCIATION
Issued 11th March 2002
GOVERNMENT ACCUSED OF 'COVERING UP ITS OWN ERRORS'
ON SO-CALLED 'FREE NURSING CARE'
'Yet another example of the Government seeking to deflect criticism of its own policies' has been slammed today by the Registered Nursing Home Association.
Health Minister Jacqui Smith is accused by the RNHA of a further slide into the 'blame culture' for having issued a diktat to inspectors to check up on the fees which all nursing homes charge self-funding patients.
The vast majority of nursing homes are struggling to balance their income and costs. Some have put up fees over recent months in order to prevent themselves going out of business.
According to the RNHA, the fact that this coincided with the introduction of a Government contribution averaging £70 for nursing home patients' nursing care is being used by the Minister as an excuse for yet more red tape and bureaucracy.
Commented RNHA chief executive officer Frank Ursell: "This is nothing more than a Government smokescreen to mask the reality that its so-called free nursing care contribution is too low an amount to cover nursing costs, is complicated to administer and, in some cases, has not even been paid anyway."
He added: "Jacqui Smith seems to be intent on following in the notorious footsteps of Stephen Byers in apportioning blame to others for problems caused by the Government's own mismanagement."
The RNHA is pressing for an independent assessment of what nursing home care really costs. Previous studies, it says, show that the amount paid by social services for State-funded patients (around two thirds of the total) is well below the costs which nursing homes have to meet in wages and other expenses.
"The Government keeps running away from this stark truth," said Mr Ursell. "However, the more they bury their heads, the worse the situation becomes on the ground. The history books may yet record that this Government is the one that was responsible for the wholesale destruction of a key part of the long-term care sector."
The RNHA said it was recommending nursing homes to ensure that any money paid out by the Government to cover the nursing care element of a self-funding patients' costs should go directly to the patients, who could then use the money to help meet the cost of any general fee increases introduced by the homes to meet rising costs.
Commented Mr Ursell: "Before the scheme was introduced, the Government was advised by ourselves and by virtually all other organisations involved that it would be better for the new payments towards nursing care to be made to the individuals concerned, rather than to the nursing homes. The Government ignored this advice and insisted on paying the nursing homes.
"Now, because a minority of nursing homes have kept some or all of the new payments to help meet fee increases they were already planning to introduce, the Government is blaming others and intends to rap every nursing home over the knuckles to cover up for the many errors of judgement it has made."
END
For further information please contact:
Frank Ursell, Chief Executive Officer, RNHA on 0121-454 2511 or 07785 227000
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