Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Is the Taoiseach aware of a crisis in the provision of home care packages throughout the various community healthcare organisations, CHOs? It seems that industrial relations commitments, including the provision of expenses for travel, have hoovered up most of the additional funding allocated by the HSE to CHOs. Many CHO areas are now in a position whereby they must cease issuing home care packages for several months. I am informed that there are waiting lists of 300 people in some areas. This is obviously causing serious distress to the system, where acute beds are being taken up, and among families and patients. To give just one very good example, a 92 year old gentleman in Sligo University Hospital was admitted for just seven days, and some 70 days later, having been approved for home help, he was not in a position to be discharged because the home help was not available due to pressure on budgets. Will the Taoiseach instruct the HSE to provide additional resources to each CHO area to ensure that they have adequate money to issue home care packages or, if necessary, produce an appropriate supplementary budget specifically to deal with this matter?

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