Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government, under the heading of "Health", states, "Efforts to increase access to safe, timely care, as close to patients’ homes as possible will be a priority". Among other things, I assume this refers to the importance of home care and the need to address its provision because the service has been savaged since 2008. There was an increase in funding in the recent budget, but I put it to the Taoiseach that it is not even close to what is required to deliver on what is claimed in the programme for Government to be a priority.

I will give the House an example. Mark O'Brien is 48 years of age and has a rare disease, CADASIL, which causes him to have multiple strokes. He is almost totally non-verbal, has severe problems walking and cannot do basic manual tasks. He is categorised as disabled, in receipt of disability allowance and lives in an adapted home. He cannot cook, clean or wash himself because of his condition. His father who is 72 years of age has the same disease. He lives in Shankill and has to travel to Dún Laoghaire on the DART every day, for which he is not really able, to look after his son because Mark has no one to look after him. I have inquired on three occasions since the summer about a home care package for Mark. The HSE has acknowledged that he needs such a package but states the home care hours budget is "at capacity" and that Mark's home care hours will be reviewed on receipt of additional funding. This is the Taoiseach's health policy. Our most recent response to our inquiry was received on 11 October. Mark is not being given by the Government the home care pacakge that he so desperately needs. How many Mark O'Briens are there? Even with the additional funding for home care packages, there are still approximately 1.5 million fewer hours than in 2008, while the elderly population has increased by 17%. We are, therefore, well short of delivering what was called "safe, timely care, as close to patients' homes as possible". That is the priority that has been given to the issue. When will Mark be given the home care package he needs? When will others like him get the packages they need?

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