Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleague, Deputy Butler, for bringing forward this timely, appropriate and important motion. Since the home care package was introduced by my party, Fianna Fáil, in 2006, there has been a significant rise in its uptake, and for good reason. Everyone, regardless of age, prefers to be at home, particularly when he or she is at his or her most vulnerable. It behoves us, as legislators, to ensure this is possible, yet there are 107 people waiting in Cork South-West for home care support. Some 610 patients are eligible for a hospital discharge, but there is nowhere for them to go. It has reached the stage where constituents of mine are advising the discharge teams in Cork University Hospital, CUH, that they cannot take their loved ones home without a plan being in place. They are aware of the fact that the moment they go through the revolving door of the hospital with their loved one, the supports required will not be in place to facilitate a smooth transition, be it short-term respite care or returning to the family home to provide long-term care.

I note the intention to provide an additional 550 home care packages to cope with the winter trolley crisis. That number falls short of the 610 awaiting discharge from hospitals. With respect, I ask the Minister of State to simply get on with it, put this system in place and ensure the announcement will not be like many others but rather ensure this will one come to fruition. As an aside, my office is constantly fielding calls from concerned relatives who are experiencing great difficulties in accessing information on home care services. With this in mind, the Minister of State can imagine my surprise when I received a call this morning advising that the HSE-funded West Cork Carers Support Group located in Bantry would close at the end of 2018. It has been a huge crutch for so many carers in recent decades. How can any Minister who is serious about improving supports for home care service users and others, specifically the people who are saving the State thousands by caring for their loves ones, turn it around and dispense with such a vital service?

I have an awful lot more to say about this issue, but, as unfortunately, some of my colleagues ran a little over time, I will sit down to allow in the last Deputy.

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