THE STATE HAS been accused of covering up the real costs of public nursing home care.

Nursing Homes Ireland, which represents nursing homes across the country, says an up to date list of fees has not been published since 2011.

It’s CEO Tadhg Daly said: “The transparency and accountability applied to private and voluntary nursing homes in respect of cost of care is completely absent for HSE nursing homes.

“Repeated representations to the Department of Health and HSE have promised publication of costs but these have never materialised.

The real cost of public nursing home care is being hidden. The average cost in March 2011 was €1,245 per week per resident in HSE nursing homes which was 40% above that applied for private and voluntary counterparts.

NHI is calling on the Minister for Health to release the details immediately so that families can make informed decisions on the care of their loved ones.