Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Home help is key to allowing people to live in the comfort of their home with dignity. Many people who do not need to be in nursing homes and who would be quite capable at home just need an extra little bit of help to get out of hospital earlier. Home help is also a great support to carers and gives them a break as well. It is getting increasingly difficult for people to get access to home help. We are hearing that in all of our constituency offices. I had an opportunity to meet with people from the HSE recently to discuss this problem. While they highlighted that they had an extra €2.3 million in our area in Cork and Kerry to provide home help, they also highlighted that the 2019 budget does not allow the community health organisation, CHO, to deliver the same number of hours as it did last year. There is additional burden in respect of the nationally-agreed contract. It is a struggle for the CHO to provide those supports. It is critical that every effort is made to ensure that families and those who need care have access to home help when they need it.

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