HSE nursing homes in County Wicklow are being paid almost 60 per cent more per resident per week under the Fair Deal scheme than their counterparts in the private and voluntary sector .
New research from Nursing Homes Ireland shows that the 20 private and voluntary nursing homes operating in the county receive an average Fair Deal fee of €1,066 per resident per week.
This compares to the two HSE nursing homes in the county who receive an average fee of €1,710, a differential range of 58 per cent.
The support service for older people is calling on the next Government to make a commitment to introduce an independent appeal process for nursing home providers, under the Nursing Home Support Scheme.