Nursing homes needed to have "the ability to care for patients coming from an acute hospital setting" according to an email sent to them by the National Treatment Purchase Fund in March last year.
The correspondence has been released to the Aontú party under Freedom of Information. Party leader Peadar Tóibín questioned if the Department of Health instructed the NTPF to "dangle money in front of nursing homes and instruct them to make way for a large surge in hospital transfers".
He was speaking during the Nursing Homes Supports Amendment Bill. The Ceann Comhairle, Seán O'Fearghaíl, interjected, telling Deputy Tóibín his contribution did not relate to the amendments of the bill in question.