Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The new report by Home and Community Care Ireland, HCCI, on homecare waiting lists, which was covered in The Irish Times yesterday, reveals that 5,556 older people are waiting for homecare at the end of last year. The waiting list in CHO 8, which covers my constituency of Offaly and includes county Laois, rose steeply by 31% to 932 people waiting. This represents the second-highest waiting list in the State. In counties Laois and Offaly, between 350 and 400 people are on waiting lists for homecare. The reason for this increase is that in CHO 8 the HSE decided to ration homecare for financial reasons. At the end of 2024, HCCI learned that in CHO 8 the HSE stopped allocating most new homecare packages, with only 50% of recycled hours being allocated. While I understand that normal service is slowly resuming in CHO 8, unfortunately, the impact on care will be seen well into this year. Will the Tánaiste to commit to implementing the HCCI policy recommendations to tackle the waiting lists such as setting up a waiting list task force, delivering targeted funding for rural homecare delivery, designing a homecare workforce strategy and encouraging homecare providers into homecare blackspots?

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