Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As the Tánaiste is aware, a large number of older people in hospital are well enough to be at home, provided they have adequate support, but they cannot be discharged as there are no options of care available to them. Since 2008, home help hours have been cut by 1.6 million hours. During that time there has been an increase of 160,000 in the number of people over the age of 65. Supporting older people to age at home is undoubtedly the best option, and there is widespread evidence to indicate that older people prefer to stay in their own homes. This vision was included in the last programme for Government and is part of the national positive ageing strategy and the Health Service Executive, HSE, service plan. Home care packages are key to implementing this vision.

Last September, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, trolley watch reported that there were 7,551 people on trolleys across the country. That is an average of 251 patients per day awaiting admission for inpatient treatment. This figure will very likely increase as the severe winter weather approaches.

Investing in home care packages is a major part of solving the hospital trolley crisis and overcrowding in emergency departments.

The charity ALONE recently conducted a cost comparison on the various options for caring for older people. The cost of an acute hospital bed is between €800 and €900 per day. The cost of providing home help three times a day is between €50 and €70. In other words, the money spent on keeping one person in an acute hospital bed would enable 18 elderly people to remain in their own homes with home help support in place.

A home care package would cost approximately €400 per week compared with paying €6,300 to keep that patient in an acute hospital bed for one week. For every €10 million the Government invests in home care packages, 480 elderly people could be enabled to remain in their homes with home help three times a day, seven days a week for an entire year. If these 480 people were to remain in acute hospital beds for one year, it would cost the Government €157,248,000. If we were to enable these people to stay in their homes with the support of a home care package it would cost the Government €9,984,000 and the Department of Health would save €147,264,000.

I ask the Government to take meaningful steps to alleviate the current crisis that exists in regard to our elderly in need of home help and home care packages. Currently, more than 4,000 elderly and ill people are waiting for home help and home care packages. This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

I also raise the issue of the privatisation of the home help service, where the people, women mainly, who carry out this fabulous service are being replaced by private companies. Is the privatisation of this service a departmental guideline for the future?

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