Mr. Joseph Musgrave:

On Deputy Kate O'Connell's question and Mr. Dunne's response regarding time lag and home care packages, Sláintecare will, it is hoped, bring a step change in how we manage chronic conditions and interventions such that it is not essentially at crisis point that home care packages are awarded, as is commonly the case now. I understand Care Alliance Ireland has done some work on the priority given by the different CHOs per condition, which varies wildly. For example, we have anecdotal evidence that a person entering palliative care will be prioritised by some CHOs but not by others. For a family member living in Dublin whose relative lives in Cork, trying to rationalise the system does not make sense. Home and Community Care Ireland gets a lot of inquiries from people about the system and how it works, as I am sure do all of the other organisations. The impact is huge on families. Home and Community Care Ireland is a representative organisation for providers but I still get calls from people from abroad seeking help about the system and how it operates.