Fair Deal Scheme

The Fair Deal Scheme is a financial support program in Ireland designed to help cover the cost of long-term nursing home care

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BDO | NHI, Private & Voluntary Nursing Home Survey Results 2020/2021.

What is the ‘Fair Deal’ Nursing home support scheme?

The Nursing Home Support Scheme (NHSS) is a Health Service Executive (HSE) scheme. It helps provide affordable long -term care in nursing homes. You can visit About the Fair Deal scheme – HSE.ie for more detailed information.

Under the nursing home support scheme:

  • You pay a portion of the cost of your care
  • The state pays the remaining amount. This is known as state support.

You can pay your share of the cost in one of two ways:

  • From your income and savings
  • By applying for a nursing home loan. This is a loan from the State and is also called Ancillary State Support. If you choose this option, the HSE may register a charging order against your property to which you and any joint owner will have to give permission. This means your property is used as security for the loan.

If you apply for a nursing home loan, and you have an existing Bank of Ireland mortgage, the HSE will also require our permission to register a charging order against your property.

If you have a Bank of Ireland Life Loan mortgage, you will need to complete the 2nd legal charge Application Form (for Fair Deal scheme) which you can find here.

Please read the ‘Important Notices’ and ‘Instructions on Completing the Form’ carefully.

If you need any help with this form, please call our Mortgage and Security Amendment Support Team on 01 611 3333 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) and they will be happy to help you.

Once this form is completed, please send the form and any supporting documentation to Bank of Ireland Mortgages, Financial Review Team, Bank of Ireland Mortgages, PO Box 13298, Dublin 18.

How we can help

We understand that it can be a stressful time when you or someone you are supporting has to go into a nursing home. We can assist by providing accurate financial information. You will need this for the ‘Fair Deal’ Nursing Home Support Scheme, which helps ensure affordable long-term care in nursing homes.



How to get support

1. Get in touch and let us know if you are a customer or someone supporting a customer:

  • Customers and family members: please call into a branch or call our contact centre on 0818 365 365 or outside ROI +353 1 404 4000 and choose option 1 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
  • If the customer does not have decision-making capacity, please provide us with medical proof so we can act in a duty of care.

2. The branch staff member or contact centre agent will take your details and let our Customer Care team know:

  • For verified customer requests, our Customer Care team will order up-to-date statements that can be sent to the address we have on file for the customer. Alternatively, we can send them directly, as an encrypted file, to the Nursing Home Support Scheme
  • If you need statements to go to a different address, the customer has to complete a ‘change of address’ request first, before the statements can be ordered.

3. Our Customer Care team will send the statements out:

  • If the statements are posted to the address we have on file for a customer, they typically arrive within six to seven working days
  • If the statements must go to a verified, new address, please allow three to four extra days for us to complete the change of address.


Frequently asked questions

  • Where can I get more information on the nursing home support scheme?

    You can visit About the Fair Deal scheme – HSE.ie for more detailed information.

  • What is a charging order?

    If you apply for the nursing home support scheme (Fair Deal), the HSE will look at your finances to decide how much you can pay towards your care.

    If you need help paying, you can ask for a loan from the HSE. This loan is secured on your home or property. The HSE will place a legal charge on your property called a charging order. The nursing home loan will need to be repaid after death. You can also choose to repay this any time before death.

    If your home already has a mortgage, the HSE may need permission from your bank to register the charging order (‘second legal charge’) over the property.

    You or someone acting for you must agree to this.

    To learn more, visit the HSE website or contact your local HSE office.

  • How do I get bank statements ?

    Customers and family members: please call into a branch or phone our contact centre on 0818 365 365 or outside ROI +353 1 404 4000 and choose option 1 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)

    Our Customer Care team will send the statements out:

    • Our customer care team will verify the customer or authorised 3rd party on the account
    • If the statements are posted to the address we have on file for a customer, they typically arrive within six to seven working days
    • If the statements must go to a verified, new address, please allow three to four extra days for us to complete the change of address.

  • What identification will I need?

    • Valid photo identification – The documents we accept include your passport, driving license card, or EU National ID card.
    • Proof of address – The documents we accept include a utility bill, a financial statement, or a letter from the Revenue Commissioners, an approved university, the CAO, the Department of Social Welfare, or the Naturalisation and Immigration Service.

    Please provide proof of address documents in English. If the documents are not in English they will need to be translated.

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Log in to 365 online, select Services and Send us a message.

Call us on 0818 365 365, 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday. Saturday 10am-2pm.

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