Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator Doherty for raising this issue as it provides me with an opportunity to update the House on Government policy on community services in general. This Government is committed to supporting people to live in dignity and independence in their homes and communities for as long as possible. Where this is not feasible, the health service supports access to quality long-term residential care where this is appropriate. We are continuing to develop and improve health services in all regions of the country and to ensure quality and patient safety. A key element of Government policy is the provision of community services such as home help, home care packages and day care. In the HSE national service plan for 2010, approved by the Minister for Health and Children earlier this year, the HSE has undertaken to provide almost 12 million home help hours to 54,500 people - the same level as the planned level for 2009 - over 5,000 home care packages to over 9,500 people and 21,300 day care places which we estimate cater for up to 80,000 people.

The HSE's national service plan for 2010 is to assist 14,400 people in the west with home help. This is the same target number of people as in 2009, and marginally higher than the outturn achieved last year. The target number of hours of home help for the west in 2010 is 3.5 million, the same level targeted for last year. Between 2006 and 2010 an additional sum of over €200 million was provided by this Government to the HSE to increase these services to enable older people to remain at home and in their communities.

The Health Service Executive has operational responsibility for the delivery of health and social services, including the provision of home help services in Donegal.

All developments now have to be addressed in the light of current economic and budgetary pressures. The executive has been asked to make a rigorous examination of how existing funding might be re-configured or re-allocated to ensure maximum service provision is achieved. This requires a stringent ongoing review of the application of the resources currently available.

Unfortunately, due to the current industrial reaction, the latest information available to me is from last December. At that stage, in the first quarter of 2009, the HSE in Donegal provided 54,246 home support hours per month. This was in excess of budgeted hours, which were set at 52,000 hours per month for 2009. Since 2003, there has been a 60% increase in home help hours delivered to older people in Donegal. In addition, 191 people in Donegal benefit directly from home care packages. The local health office provides the third highest number of home help hours per head to those over 65 years of age out of 32 local health offices nationwide.

The HSE indicated in December that it intended to achieve efficiencies in service delivery by reviewing the scale of provision on Sundays and bank holidays in particular, where premium pay rates apply. Its aim is to meet patient needs through a variety of supports, including public health nursing, day hospitals, day centres, home care packages etc. Any person who is dissatisfied with the level of home support can appeal the decision to the HSE appeals officer in the north west.

I regret that I do not have any more up to date information than this at present but if the Senator wishes to raise this matter again once the current industrial action has ceased, I will endeavour to have the matter re-examined at that stage.

The Government has made considerable improvements in recent years to enhance home care provision generally across the country, including in Donegal. There is no doubt that demand can at times exceed service resources. I am satisfied however that the HSE will continue to deliver the home help service in the best manner possible, taking account of evolving circumstances at national and local level.