Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleague, Deputy Butler, for bringing forward this timely motion. She acknowledged an announcement the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, had made during the day. My concern is that we are not short on announcements but that we are very short on the delivery of home care packages. The Minister of State is aware of how much time I have spent engaging with him and other Ministers in trying to deliver much needed home care packages. This is not about staff but about the lack of funding. For example, since 2016 the number of home care packages has increased by 2,000. That is causing bed blocking in hospitals and nursing homes. We know that people are more comfortable living in their own homes where they are happier. However, additional funding is not being provided to meet the additional demand. The maths are very simple - the funding is not available.

In community health organisation, CHO, 7 which covers my constituency of Kildare, part of Dublin and Wicklow a total of 992 people are awaiting approval of home care packages. In Kildare alone there are 260 people waiting. The home care packages cannot be approved because there is no money available. When those responsible met the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, six weeks ago, they pleaded with him for money because of the crisis. That has been the position since April and the number waiting has been increasing month on month. Where is the money going? Why are services not being delivered and why are home care packages not being provided for people who have been identified, assessed and approved to receive them? The reason they cannot be put in place is there is no money available.

I will quickly outline two cases for the Minister of State. One concerns a constituent who was in Peamount Hospital. It was decided that he would be moved to Naas because of bed blocking. He is going back to Naas Hospital or another hospital as they have been trying to have him moved. This has been ongoing for five months because the home care package has not been approved.

Another case concerns an old lady in her 80s who has a heart condition. Her husband is very ill, but she cannot have a home care package put in place. This week she borrowed money from a moneylender to keep her husband in a nursing home until a home care package is put in place. That is the reality. We need home care packages to be approved and funding to be put in place.

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