Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is a serious crisis in the area in which I live for people suffering disability who are trying to live at home and maintain a living standard in their own home with due and proper care. There are nine community healthcare organisation, CHO, areas in the country. I live in County Louth and represent part of County Meath. My community healthcare organisation area also includes part of the midlands. I had a constituent who, because of their disability, was entitled to 56 hours home support per week. For days, they would lie bedridden with nobody to care for them or go in and out. The other family member was away working during these hours. The answer we were given as to why there was nobody to do the work, even though 56 hours had been granted, was that the only hours which could be allocated are recouped from existing service users and recycled. In other words, somebody would have to die before that person could get the hours they needed. It is not the only such case in this area. At least three other cases have been brought to my attention where a person needed a significant number of home support hours and could not get them until another party died. That is absolutely unacceptable, particularly in these days when, as the Minister of State knows and which I welcome, more money than ever is available to allow people to have home help.

I refer the Minister of State to the spending review of 2018 entitled, Trends in public Social Care Service Provision and Expenditure for Older Persons. Figure 9 on page 17 of that report is exceptionally clear. It shows that of the nine community health areas, CHO 8, which covers Louth, Meath and the midlands, has a ratio of home care expenditure and percentage of population aged over 75 that is 30% less than is expected. There is a significant underspend in Louth, Meath and the midlands in respect of home care. These are figures produced by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform based on census data from the year 2016. It is absolutely unacceptable. I acknowledge and support the Government policy of a statutory right to home care packages. I support people's right to have care in their homes, the right not to be forced into nursing homes against their will and the right to independent living as best they can. However, it is not happening in my constituency.

I would also bring another case to the Minister of State's attention. I refer to a child of six who has a rare syndrome, Pallister-Killian syndrome. After they passed the age of five, 18 months ago, they passed from the care of the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation into State services. For 18 months they have been granted home care hours but there is nobody to provide that service whom the HSE will pay. This person lives in the County Meath part of my constituency and the services providers there cannot provide a qualified person. There is somebody who is qualified for the Jack and Jill services, who can provide the services professionally but the HSE will not pay them. That is a shame and a disgrace. The family is in deep distress. They have asked me to bring the matter to the Minister of State for reply this evening.

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