AQW 41813/22-27


Mr Danny Donnelly
Alliance Party
East Antrim


Tabled Date: 04/03/2026
Answered On Date: 22/04/2026
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the amount paid to nursing home operators in top-up fees, in each of the last five years, broken down by Health and Social Care Trust.


Answer:
The following table sets out the values due to nursing home operators in respect of top-up fees in each of the last five years, as advised by Health and Social Care Trusts.
Trust
2021/22
£000’s
2022/23
£000’s
2023/24
£000’s
2024/25
£000’s
2025/26
(Apr 25-Feb 26)
£000’s
BHSCT
1,109
1,494
2,083
2,992
3,836
NHSCT
1,378
2,155
4,339
5,348
5,953
SEHSCT
910
1,292
1,744
2,749
4,056
SHSCT
255
315
506
698
894
WHSCT*
1,589
1,759
2,046
2,758
3,056
Notes to the table:
All amounts paid have been rounded to the nearest thousand pounds.
The figures for all Trusts for 2025/26 are 11 months only, as based on payments from April 2025 to February 2026.
HSC Trusts can only report on top up payments which are recorded on Trust systems, which include those paid through the Trust. Any private arrangements made between the provider and third parties paid directly to the nursing home operator will not normally be recorded in Trust payment systems.
*Prior to April 2024 WHSCT did not record top-up fees separately within their financial system and, as such, have provided only estimated figures for the financial years 2021/22 – 2023/24.
The values provided by Trusts are distinguished as far as possible by those relating to nursing care placements only and are not intended to include any values in respect of residential care.
The values include where there is a third party contribution arrangement in place to pay the top up charge and where the Trust is incurring the cost of any top up charge.