John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)

I want to raise the issue of home support with the Taoiseach today. Home support, often known as home help, is one of the most essential person-centred supports provided by our health and social care system. It is a service that allows older people and those with additional needs to continue living safely, comfortably and independently in their own homes and communities. For many families across Cork and throughout the country, home support is not just a convenience but a lifeline. Every single day, home support workers carry out dignified and compassionate work that enables people to remain connected to their neighbours, communities and the place they call home. This sense of place, familiarity and independence has been proven to have a profound impact on a person's physical and mental well-being. It gives reassurance to families, reduces isolation and promotes independence, values that must remain at the heart of our health service.

We cannot ignore the critical role the home support service plays in easing pressure on our hospitals. When adequate support is available in the home, unnecessary hospital admissions can be prevented and hospital discharges can happen more smoothly. For older people in particular, remaining at home with proper assistance is often far safer and healthier than spending extended periods in acute settings. Home support services are a vital part of the wider solution to overcrowding, delayed discharges and pressures on our emergency departments. However, to fully realise the benefits of home support, the service must be resourced, properly staffed and delivered in a timely and consistent manner. Too many people are waiting for far too long for essential hours to begin. Too many families are left in distress trying to bridge that gap. This is not acceptable. A service that is so fundamentally important cannot be allowed to operate under strain, uncertainty or chronic staff shortages.

I received a response to a parliamentary question in the past number of days. There are 5,377 people waiting for a service for home support across the country at present. In Cork city and county, 890 clients have been waitlisted for home support, of whom 543 are waiting for a new service with 347 existing clients waiting for the allocation of additional hours.

To give a few local examples from my own area, a man in his eighties, a farmer all his life who paid taxes for over 65 years got a diagnosis and died nine weeks later in his home. He passed away without getting one hour of home support, despite being approved. Another lady in my constituency spent five weeks in hospital following being approved for discharge, waiting for a home care package to be approved. This should not be happening. We need the HSE to respond with a clear plan on how to identify and address this issue. Carrying on like it has been for the past 12 months or more is no longer acceptable. We need an immediate plan for the home care sector. I hope the Taoiseach can use his offices to ensure we can make significant progress over the coming weeks and months.

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