Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to address the House on matters of concern to family carers. All over the country today we have carers looking after children, parents and in-laws. There are young carers caught between commitments to their nearest and dearest and their future life choices. The carers I know describe lives that are both enriched and yet confined by their commitments.

Family carers are the backbone of care provision in our country, whether caring for a child or a parent with a disability, somebody with an illness or an elderly family member. Carers, through their selfless hard work, knowledge and compassion, enhance the quality of life of the most vulnerable in our society on a daily basis.

That is why the Government is not opposing today’s motion.

Ireland’s army of carers give up a lot to look after their loved ones and they have cared for the most vulnerable during this pandemic. There is no doubt that the burden on carers has increased as a result of the pandemic. A survey commissioned by Family Carers Ireland in July 2020 found that one third of respondents were worried about becoming more socially isolated and 60% were concerned about a decline in their own mental health and well-being. I thank them sincerely for everything they have done during the pandemic.

I understand why family carers are seeking to be prioritised in the vaccine programme. There is nothing we would all like more than to be able to vaccinate all carers immediately. I asked the national immunisation advisory committee, NIAC, and the Department of Health to look carefully at this case and many other cases. As I hope we all agree, the priority for the vaccination programme is to reduce the risk of serious illness and death from Covid. This is the basis for the advice from NIAC and the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET. This is why so many who are being cared for have already been vaccinated or are in one of the cohorts to be vaccinated soon. Two of the biggest risk factors for Covid are age and underlying conditions. This is why we are now vaccinating those aged 70 and older, as well as those with underlying conditions that put them at very high risk from Covid. It is why NIAC recommended vaccinating according to age and underlying condition. By following this approach, we are vaccinating those being cared for as quickly as possible. It also means that we are vaccinating carers, along with others, according to the level of risk they are themselves at from Covid.

It is the ambition of our programme for Government to prioritise policy actions that protect the most vulnerable and put in place new measures for economic decision-making that reflect the welfare and quality of life of those living in Ireland, as our economy returns to growth in the aftermath of the pandemic. In relation to health and social care, the Government has provided an unprecedented level of investment in the 2021 budget to improve access to primary care services, older people’s services, specialist disability services, mental health services and well-being.

We recognise that waiting lists for accessing therapy services in some parts of the country are unacceptably long and that this is a matter of legitimate concern for individuals and their families and carers. In response, budget 2021 has provided €150 million in new development money, plus additional Sláintecare funding, to support the roll-out of the enhanced community care programme. This level of investment in primary care reform is unprecedented and is intended to address historic capacity deficits in the sector. It forms part of wider efforts to deliver the promise of care being delivered in the right place at the right time and as close to home as possible.

Under the enhanced community care programme, over 2,000 staff will be recruited to community health networks, with a particular focus on nursing and community therapists such as physiotherapists, psychologists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists. The investment in community healthcare networks, together with wider reform and policy initiatives to support integrated community care services, will improve access to the therapies that individuals, families and carers need and deserve.

The Ministers of State, Deputies Rabbitte and Feighan, will shortly outline the significant work they are leading to build the capacity of our specialist disability services, the arrangements in train to resume day and respite services and the highly ambitious plans in train to progress wellness and other supports which are valuable in the community and which will be very important to family carers and those for whom they care.

At the same time, we are progressing a highly ambitious plan to greatly increase home care. Home support is vital to enable older people to remain in their own homes for as long as possible and to support family carers. An additional 5 million home care hours will be provided this year. We are also introducing an assessment tool to ensure that the services provided are matched to the needs of each individual. I have spoken with many carers who believe this will bring much-needed improvements to home care, to the people being cared for and to the lives of carers.

Work is ongoing within the Department of Health to develop a system for the financing and regulation of home support services, in addition to the introduction of a reformed model of service delivery that will ensure the provision of home support in a transparent and equitable manner.

I expect to be in a position to announce some very positive developments on this in the near future.

I will conclude by again acknowledging the enormous benefit family carers provide every single day to their loved ones and our society. It is essential that we bring in these reforms to support family carers and make their work and lives easier. The past year has been difficult for everybody, for every family. This is particularly true for family carers and those for whom they care. As a result of the efforts the nation has made to suppress the virus and the extraordinarily positive impact of the vaccination programme, we were able to share a plan yesterday by means of which we can take Ireland out of this pandemic. Subject to vaccines arriving, four out of every five adults can be offered a vaccine by the end of June. As we move through April and supplies increase, more people, including more carers, will be vaccinated and protected and will be able to begin returning to the normality we all crave.

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