Nursing homes to receive €10 million in funding to ease energy costs

Kenneth Fox

A new €10 million scheme to support nursing homes with the rise in energy costs has been announced today.

As the Irish Examiner reports, the funding drive will support all private and voluntary nursing homes that have an agreement with the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) for ‘Fair Deal’.

From November 11th, eligible nursing homes can apply for the scheme to meet energy bills for July to December this year.

Each nursing home can apply for up to €31,500 in vouched energy rises.

They can claim for heating and electricity increases of up to €7,000 per month, with 75 per cent of year-on-year cost rises to be reimbursed, up to a maximum payment of €5,250 per month, backdated to July 1st.

The aim of the Temporary Inflation Payment Scheme (TIPS) is to ease pressures put on nursing homes by spiraling energy prices.

The additional energy supports were announced as part of Budget 2023.

The €10 million will be drawn from the €100 million once-off fund that has been allocated to support community-based health and social care service providers for the 2022 energy-related cost increases.

“I am particularly conscious that increased energy costs can often disproportionately affect smaller, family-run and voluntary nursing homes that do not have the same access to economies of scale as larger nursing homes," said Mary Butler, Minister for Older People.

"The purpose of these additional supports is to make sure viable nursing homes do not experience difficulties in delivering services due to the rise in energy costs."

TIPS will run in parallel to the Temporary Assistance Payment Scheme (TAPS) Covid-19 Outbreak Assistance.

TAPS, which has been in place since the start of the pandemic, has been extended to the end of the year and has seen over €145m made available to nursing homes to date.