AQW 1459/22-27 Written question to the Minister of Health
To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) the number of people awaiting domiciliary care packages that have chosen to avail of free residential, care or nursing home accommodation offered by his Department, in each constituency in the last 12 months; (ii) the estimated total monthly cost of the care packages required; and (iii) the estimated total monthly cost of the residential, care or nursing home accommodation provided.
Asked by Claire Sugden MLA on 14 June 2022
- Answered
- Written
- After due date
- Tabled
- 14 June 2022
- Answer due by
- 29 June 2022
- Answered
- 22 August 202269 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Health
- Priority question
- No
Answer
(i) In the past twelve months there are a recorded 1,027 people awaiting domiciliary care packages that have chosen to avail of free residential care or nursing home accommodation. However this is believed to be an under estimation of the total number of people, as one Trust, The Western Health and Social Care Trust, were unable to provide the data in the required timeframe. The breakdown of the known people awaiting a domiciliary care package that have chosen to avail of free residential or nursing home care as per Trust locality is provided in the attached table (column 2).
(ii) From the information available, the known estimated total monthly cost of the care packages required for the 1,027 people awaiting domiciliary care packages across the region equates to £180,234 (based on an hourly rate of £18). The breakdown of the known total monthly cost of the care packages required per Trust locality is provided in the attached table (column 3). However this is believed to be an under estimation of the total monthly cost of the care packages required, as two Trusts, The Western Health and Social Care Trust and the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, were unable to provide this data in the required timeframe.
(iii) From the information available, which is based on returns for four of the five Trusts, the estimated total monthly cost of the residential and nursing home care provided for the 1,027 people awaiting domiciliary care packages, equates in the region of £3 million (based on the 2022/23 tariff rates). As information was not available in the required timeframe, as to the exact length of stay for each person, this calculation is based on the assumption that each person resided in the care home for the full month. The breakdown of the assumed total monthly cost of the residential and nursing home care provided as per Trust locality is provided in the attached table (column 4 and column 5).
| Trust | Number of people awaiting domiciliary care availing of res/PNH care | Total monthly cost of the care packages required | Total monthly cost of residential care provided. | Total monthly cost of the nursing home care provided. |
| SHSCT | 62 | Trust unable to provide the total number of care hours so total monthly cost not available | £ 20,672 | £173,448 |
| SEHSCT | 133 | £40,410 (based on 2245 total care hours required) | £126,616 | £269,808 |
| BHSCT | 627 | £125,064 (based on 6948 total care hours required ) | £191,216 | £1,776,236 |
| NHSCT | 205 | £14,760 (based on 820 total care hours required) | £594,090 *average cost across res/PNH as specific category of home not provided | |
| WHSCT | Trust unable to provide this information as would require a manual count at disproportionate cost | Trust unable to provide this information as would require a manual count at disproportionate cost | Trust unable to provide this information as would require a manual count at disproportionate cost | Trust unable to provide this information as would require a manual count at disproportionate cost |