Freelander - the NTPF rate is the 'wholesale' deal as set by the HSE. If your mother's Fair Deal assessment is much more, it pays her to go privately but she will have to pay the private rate. Remember though, it is important to apply for and receive the Fair Deal assessment because, even if you then go privately for a few years, the 3 year limit on inclusion of PPR starts when she applies/goes into the home, so after 3 years the value of her PPR may be deducted from the assessment(even if she has been a private resident for those 3 years).