Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There are 446 people on trolleys in our hospitals today. In my city of Cork, there are 43 people on trolleys in wards and in the accident and emergency departments of Mercy University Hospital and Cork University Hospital, CUH. Tuigeann an tAire gur inniu an 28 Mean Fómhair. The weather is still fine and it should be a time of relatively low pressure on the system, yet we are looking at numbers on trolleys equivalent to over 40% of the record numbers. I am sure I am not alone in having grave concern and trepidation as to what will transpire this winter as pressure intensifies.

There were record numbers on waiting lists this summer, at well in excess of 600,000. The most recent figures for August show an increase of 3,500 on public outpatient waiting lists. For example, the number of people waiting for gynaecology appointments in the maternity hospital in Cork for over 18 months has jumped by more than 500% in the last year, numbering over 1,000 women. The lack of full cover for 20 to 22 week scans means cases are missed, with very serious potential implications for women. The facts are plain. Since the Government took office and the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, undertook his role the number of outpatients waiting for a hospital appointment has grown continuously. All Fine Gael and this Government have achieved in health is to allow the crisis to escalate to a point that it has become almost normalised.

Many people in hospital could return home much earlier if they were confident they would receive the supports and assistance they need. However, they have not been available for some time. Home help and home care packages were decimated during the crash and the current Government has entirely neglected this area. The under-resourcing of home help has meant that not only are people fearful of returning home but it has also affected people's confidence and reduced their quality of life. Workers are hassled, harried and under pressure, through no fault of their own, trying to manage 15-minute slot after 15-minute slot when the slot really requires half an hour. The vast majority of older people prefer to live their lives in their own homes if possible, a desire shared by their families. We spend €490 million on the fair deal scheme. In comparison, we spend €251 million on home help hours and €149 million on home care packages. There must be a shift in policy and a new focus on what older people want.

Yesterday, Sinn Féin launched a document outlining how we would invest an additional €72.65 million in this area, including in respect of 2.1 million home help hours and 2,500 home care packages.

This investment would significantly enhance the quality of life of older people, the ill and disabled persons and reduce the burden on hospitals which are positively creaking under the pressure. Will the Government commit to ensuring the scandalous under-resourcing of care at home is addressed comprehensibly in the forthcoming budget or will it prioritise tax cuts for higher earners above the needs of an elderly woman who needs assistance to get out of bed to begin her day at home?

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