Sir, – I was stunned to read (HEALTHplus, August 23rd) that a HSE centre in Limerick that treats troubled teenage boys costs more than €1.5 million to run last year for five teenage boys. This approximates to €300,000 per annum for each teenage boy to be kept in residential care. The report also states that it took 22 social care staff to mind these five teenagers.
In contrast, the average nursing home Fair Deal price nationally is €850 per week, which equates to approximately €44,000 per annum to keep an older person in residential care.
How can we have such a discrepancy? Unfortunately, I can only conclude that it costs so much to care for these troubled teenagers because the service is being provided for by the State, in the form of the HSE.
As a fiscally-challenged nation, how long can we afford to have the State providing residential care when clearly the private sector can provide the same service at a lower cost to the taxpayer? – Yours, etc,