Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this important issue.

At present there is a crisis relating to home help provision in County Roscommon. Emergency cases are being denied home help hours due to a ban on the recruitment of home help staff by the Health Service Executive, HSE, though it has no difficulty in recruiting additional home help managers. The crisis has also been caused by a HSE management directive issued in the past week that states home help hours for needy patients are not to be increased and new clients are not to be provided with a home help service. In addition, the HSE has instructed that home help staff, even if sanctioned, cannot be appointed unless they go through a formal, 12-week recruitment process. So much for dealing with emergency and vulnerable cases.

This is extremely frustrating as there is plenty of money available to provide home help hours because less money has been spent in the first two months of this year than was provided for in the service plan. So much for the Minister for Health and Children's commitment that there would be the same level of service in 2008 as 2007.

A similar situation has arisen with the much sought after home care packages due to the same policy direction. For an individual to avail of such a package a person currently in receipt of such a package must pass away. Why should families be forced to monitor the death notices to see whether they will receive a service? This is a national disgrace.

The Government-supported HSE policy is having a disastrous impact on the quality of life of the elderly and disabled and their families. John is 80 years of age and is in an acute hospital bed but medical staff can do no more for him. He requires care 24 hours a day and seven days a week. He is doubly incontinent, 6 ft., 4 ins. tall and is completely bed-bound. He wants to spend his final days in his own home and will rely on his only child, who has three young children between four and seven years of age, to provide the necessary care. He has no other support. The HSE is prepared to give over €350 per week for a nursing home but it is not prepared to sanction even one hour per week to help this man live with dignity in his own home. So much for the Minister for Health and Children's commitment to a fair deal for the elderly.

Mary suffers from Parkinson's disease, has three young children and is in receipt of home help hours. She cannot peel potatoes for her children's dinner yet she cares for her father-in-law. All she wants is home help for one night each week to allow her one decent night's sleep.

Bridie has just been released from hospital and has been granted four hours home help per day but the individual who is to provide that help has only one hour free each day. As a result, Bridie is using her State old-age pension to provide private home help.

The HSE is not using its full budget in County Roscommon and other counties; the money is there and that is not the problem. The problem lies in the policy direction issued by the HSE with the Government's blessing. We have been told time after time in this House that the Government has nothing to do with the day-to-day running of the health service but deals with policy issues. This is a policy issue that is having a direct impact on the elderly and the most vulnerable people in my county and throughout the country. The situation is very frustrating because funding is available. The HSE can appoint managers to supervise the existing home help staff but cannot provide home help staff for much-needed emergency services in my community and throughout the country.

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