Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ar dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas le Teachta O'Reilly fá choinne an rún seo a chur os comhair an Tí anocht. Tá an rún seo iontach tábhachtach mar tá a fhios againn go bhfuil an cúram baile a bhí tugtha do dhaoine ar fud an Stáit go dtí seo ciorruithe agus go bhfuil na daoine sin ag cailleadh uaireanta. Tá a fhios againn fosta go bhfuil go leor daoine ann nach bhfuil ag fáil cuidiú ar chor ar bith. Mar a dúirt Teachta O'Reilly, tá daoine ina luí in ospidéil gur chóir dóibh a bheith sa bhaile ach níl siad ábalta dul abhaile toisc nach bhfuil tacaíocht ann dóibh.

This is a very timely debate and we have raised issues about home help cuts and the freeze that has taken place, although he disputes it, with the Minister on numerous occasions. Even the Taoiseach, earlier today, had to admit from his own constituency clinics that what he is being told on paper is not being reflected accurately on the ground. Everyone in this House who holds constituency clinics, deals and interacts with members of the public knows well that there is a serious issue in home help and home care provision in this State. It manifests in different ways. There are situations where older, vulnerable people who are living in their own homes and have been provided with home help have had their home help hours cut despite the fact that their medical conditions have not improved and, in some cases, have deteriorated. There are situations where others who need, and have been allocated, home care packages are not getting them because of the mismanagement and unavailability of staff in certain areas. There is a third cohort who are medically discharged from community hospitals and are not able to go home and live independently because the State has refused to provide the necessary home help supports.

The cost implications of this have been explained in great detail by Deputy O'Reilly. Those implications include costs to the overall health system but also the human cost to the individuals, carers and families because they are not able to live independently in their own home.

It costs, on average, €165 per week to care for somebody in his or her own home, and this can be compared with a cost of nearly €6,000 for an acute hospital bed. That comparison probably sums up this Government's mismanagement of the health budget with specific reference to home help. That is wrong and not only because it does not support these individuals. Those in question want to be at home but are unfortunately stuck in acute or community hospitals,, which leads to more and more people ending up on trolleys and so on.

This matter requires urgent attention. Time and again we have put forward solutions. We produced a detailed and costed plan well before Sláintecare's publication that showed how to reform our health service, meet the needs of the public and ensure that we can answer the demands of those who need care when they are sick. We have shown how increased investment in home care support can save the State and the HSE money in the overall budget. Our proposals last year fell on deaf ears and the Government failed to invest the necessary amounts to ensure the resources will meet demands. When we asked the Taoiseach about this, he initially stated that he thought there was a sufficient budget and referred to a 50% increase. He indicated that we needed to analyse the figures. There is no need to analyse numbers; we should be talking to families. The Ministers of State should speak to the cancer patients who want to return to their homes and families while they undergo treatment but who cannot do so because the necessary home care supports are not there. They should speak to the people who deliver this service about how they feel an impact when they see those for whom they care having services cut from three hours per day to an hour and half. Individuals being cared for may not be able to feed themselves independently but the clock is constantly ticking for their carers. The provision of 30 minutes of care in the evening is not sufficient. These carers face difficulties because, unlike the Government and the HSE, they are not able to walk out the door and simply abandon the those to whom I refer people, as the Government and the HSE has done.

Our proposal is proper and adequate and would meet the needs of the public. I ask the Government to ditch the rhetoric and spin in order that we can get real about this. Let us support those vulnerable and elderly people who are well enough to be in a home environment but who need a little support from the State. The Ministers of State, the Taoiseach and the Government are denying them that support. The Ministers of State should do the right thing by supporting this motion. I appeal to every other Teachta to do likewise.

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