'I handed over my pension book when I came here'

One woman's story: Dubliner Maureen Gough says her pension book has been held by the health service authorities since she moved into the community nursing home on the campus of the former Meath hospital two years ago.

She says that when she saw on television that she was to receive a €10 increase in her old-age pension, Maureen asked if she would be getting some of the increase, and was told she would.

However, she received only €1 of the €10 to spend herself. The balance, along with the bulk of her pension payment, was deducted by the Health Board to offset the cost of her care, she says. "When I came in here I handed over my pension book. I thought that that was the done thing. I had €180 per week and no other income. However, after the charges all I was left with was €21. After they increased the old-age pension by €10, I got €1 more, bringing it up to €22. And I was not going to go mad on that."

The Minister for Health, Ms Harney, has argued that it is fair to ask elderly patients to make a reasonable contribution towards their bed and board in public nursing home facilities. However, Maureen says the system is encouraging elderly patients to remain in acute hospitals.

She says when she was in St James's that she received her full pension and that the State paid for her hospital care. "There are people in St James's for eight, nine, 10 months. They are sitting pretty and getting royal treatment. And it stands to reason. Why should they want to come out? There are worse people outside waiting for a bed and they can't get one."

Maureen was thrilled with the Supreme Court judgment yesterday, which is expected to force the Government to repay the money illegally deducted from both her pension and the pensions of thousands of others like her in State-run nursing homes or in beds contracted by health boards from private sector operators.

"There should be great credit to the person who discovered this [ the illegal deductions]. It was about time for this has been covered up for years," she said.

A spokesman for the Health Service Executive South Western Area said they would look into the circumstances of Ms Gough's case.

The health authority would "be taking steps to implement the decision of the court in relation to its clients, both past and present", he said.