You can apply for financial support to help pay for the cost of care in a nursing home through the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, also known as the Fair Deal scheme. The Fair Deal scheme is managed by the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Under Fair Deal, you pay a certain amount towards the cost of your care and the HSE pays the rest. Fair Deal covers approved private nursing homes, voluntary nursing homes and public nursing homes.

You must be ordinarily resident in Ireland and need long-term nursing home care to apply for the scheme. You need to be approved for Fair Deal before you can get funding for a nursing home.

When you apply, your care needs are assessed by the HSE to confirm that long-term nursing home care is the most appropriate option for you.

Your financial situation is also assessed by the HSE to see how much you can pay towards the cost of your nursing home care. The HSE then pays the balance between what you pay for your care and what the nursing home charges for providing that care. Your assets, such as savings and property, are taken into account when assessing your financial situation.

Please use the below buttons for further information and to download the application form.