Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I commend my colleagues in the Regional Group on tabling this important motion. I compliment and thank Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh, who prepared the content of it for us. The most important thing is that we are throwing a light on something that all present know is wrong.

The system of home care is not working. Home care hours are being allocated to people who have been medically assessed and deemed to be in need of home care but unfortunately, the hours are not being fulfilled. As a result, there is greater pressure on families who are trying to care for their loved ones at home. Sláintecare suggests that we should be keeping people at home for longer and that people should only go into long-term care as a last resort. However, the system we have at the moment is not just at breaking point but has moved way beyond that. The situation is very serious.

More than 300,000 people are currently providing unpaid care in homes across this country. There is no recognition for them. They are doing it by juggling their lives around their loved ones. It is important that we acknowledge the fact that we have so many people who are providing this care. Over 86,000 individuals are dedicating 43 hours or more per week to care giving. Regular breaks are essential but carers are not getting them. As respite services are not available, people are denied the opportunity to have a decent quality of life. We are at risk of putting a further burden on this State by creating health issues for the carers themselves who are striving to care for their elderly relatives. They are trying to juggle their lives, rear their own families and do many things, including trying to work as well. At a time when we have cost inflation and many other pressures, we have a silent group of people who are weighed down by the burden being placed on them.

While it is important that we debate this motion today, we cannot just talk about it; we must see a plan coming into place. We have made many recommendations here and as Deputy Lowry said, not all of them will solve the problem. There might be other things that need to be done but at the end of the day, what we need to have is a coherent and effective home care service. I want to speak briefly about the private home carers who are also providing care. We have a ridiculous situation whereby there is a tiered rating for people providing home care services. Some of them are getting paid less per hour than what the HSE is paying. It is important that this new tender process, which has been ongoing forever, actually addresses this issue so that every care provider gets the same rate. We cannot have differential rates depending on where staff or located or on whether they are working for a small organisation or a major multinational company. We have created tiers of providers and given them different rates. This must be changed. There must be a flat rate and that rate must be such that people can live on it in order that we can attract more people into the industry.

It is very important that we do not just talk about all of this. There is a lot of engagement going on but at the end of the day, our elderly people and people with disabilities need care at home. If we cannot support the families who are doing all of this work for nothing, we are doing a disservice to the State as well because in the long term, it will mean that there are more people being kept in hospital, blocking beds. This will have a negative impact across the board. The people who deserve home care should be getting it and the people who are providing that care should be recognised and get respite care as well.

I do not know if the Minister of State intends to accept the motion but even if she does accept it, that is not really what we want. What we want is for action to be taken now, so that by the time the next budget comes around we will have a care plan for everybody who needs home care. I rest my case at that.

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