Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In line with the programme for Government commitments, we have made improved access to home supports, and the care associated with them, a priority. We have made additional investment of €52 million this year to bring the total funding for home supports to €487 million in 2020. In 2020, the HSE will deliver 19.2 million hours of support, which represents an enormous increase from last year. We all know it probably is not enough and more will be needed, but we are moving in the right direction.

When we talk about the investment in our care homes, and specifically in regard to St. Joseph's, the Deputy asked the Minister to immediately intervene when he knows full well the Minister has already intervened. The situation of the staff and the patients resident there has been secured. The fact the extra day care money has been given for the people who are presenting for the services is a testament to the fact we respect and rely on the services that are being delivered in Shankill by our medical professionals. We have put our money behind them in order to make sure we can give that critical support and viability to the 60 patients who are living there as their home, and to all of the patients who rely on it on a daily basis. There may be a difficulty with new admissions, and that will form part of the planning we are going to do next year. However, when the Deputy raised the crisis with us a number of weeks ago, both the HSE and the Minister stepped up immediately and gave extra funding to shore up the service and to ensure its viability, so we can show respect to the service providers and the value of the service they are giving to their patients.

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