Thousands of nursing home residents face a substantial rise in fees after a Government decision to make a new inspection regime self-financing.

Health Minister Mary Harney admitted yesterday that the State will be demanding €190 per bed from public and private nursing homes from July to fund a new team of 49 independent inspectors and 21 staff.

Private nursing home owners reacted strongly, saying it will mean a bill of around €10,000 for most owners. They warned the additional costs would be passed on to residents.

Private

The annual cost of a private nursing home can now be €50,000 a year or more, leaving many elderly people with no option but to sell their family home.

Public nursing homes -- which will be subject to inspection for the first time from July -- will also have to pay the State the same fee. This will leave the Health Service Executive (HSE) out of pocket by €1.9m in a year.

The proposed hikes emerged as the minister announced the inspection of over 1,000 public and private nursing homes will be ready to start in July.

There will be 50 inspectors employed by the independent watchdog, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).

It will mean inspections will be taken out of the hands of the HSE while State-run nursing homes, more than a quarter of which are over 120 years old, will be subject to visits for the first time.

The Irish Times article - Nursing homes hit with hefty new fee