Nursing homes are facing a clampdown on extra fees and confusing contracts, as new regulations are set to be rolled out.
A watchdog has found elderly people and their families often have to fork out more money for certain social activities, therapies and other services, not covered by the Fair Deal scheme.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is today launching its consumer protection guidelines for contracts of care in nursing homes.
The guidelines set out the obligations and responsibilities that providers must adhere to and are aimed at providing greater transparency, clarity and certainty for consumers.
The contract must inform the resident "in plain language" and with "no small print" on what charges are mandatory and on what are optional.
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Isolde Goggin, chairperson of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, said: “The decision to move into residential care is usually taken in stressful circumstances.
"For many people, there are limited options to choose from and moving to another nursing home, if you are not happy, is not feasible.
"This means residents are particularly vulnerable. If there is a lack of transparency in contracts of care, residents and their families are at risk of being tied into terms and conditions that they don’t understand or that they would never knowingly agree to.”
The CCPC has also published an information booklet for residents and their families to help them understand what they are entitled to expect from contracts of care.
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It contains advice on how to write to a nursing home provider if they have concerns about a contract.
Speaking about the implications for consumers, Ms Goggin said: “The nursing homes sector is currently the focus of considerable attention particularly around fees and charges and a review of the Fair Deal scheme.
"Our guidelines will not resolve all of the issues in this sector, however, our goal in undertaking this work was to ensure that residents and their families have more certainty and clarity in what they, and the nursing home, are committing to when they sign a contract of care.
"If there are any changes, for example, to fees, after the contract is signed, these changes must be reasonable, taking the resident’s interests into account and be clearly communicated."
