Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit.

Tá mé thar a bheith buíoch di as teacht isteach agus tá mé an-sásta gur ise atá anseo chun an cheist seo a fhreagairt mar tá a fhios agam go bhfuil an-suim aici san ábhar seo. Mar is eol di, tá Bille dhá chur ag Sinn Féin os comhair an Tí eile an tseachtain seo maidir le cúramóirí baile agus na ciorruithe atá á dhéanamh; tá thart ar 1 milliún uair a chloig tarraingthe amach as an gcóras sin le 12 mhí anuas.

I am grateful that the Minister of State is here and acknowledge that she has a particular interest in this issue. Probably the best way for me to highlight the issue is to tell the Minister of State of a case brought to my attention. It involves a 92 year old woman in County Galway who is dependent on three carers in her home. Unfortunately, she is not fully compos mentis. She has a difficulty with memory loss. She gets confused about what is happening around her and so on. She is dependent on the three carers, two of whom are not with the HSE but the third is a HSE carer. Her relatives tried to put in place a system such that they could keep track of whether she had been to the bathroom, whether she had had a bath, what tablets she had taken, etc. They put in place a log book in the house such that each of the carers could make notes about what exactly had been done with the lady and what the position was when they were handing over. This appears to be fine in the case of the two non-HSE carers but it has been an issue with the HSE carer. It may simply be a blip in the system or it may be a HSE West scenario.

I have been told that this was brought to the attention of the HSE authorities. Apparently, the superintendents in charge said that the only thing that the HSE carer was obliged to do was sign a timesheet indicating the time of arrival and departure and that the carer was under no obligation to fill in any log book or record detailing the medication given, whether the person had been to the bathroom, whether she had been washed, whether there had been any incidents during the day and so on. The family are concerned because they are not in a position to be with the lady full time and they are dependent on what the carers say to them. She is getting on in years and it is important that they know whether she is being fed and so on.

Is this is HSE policy nationally? If so, can anything be done about it? It seems to raise serious questions about the continuity of care in such a setting. It is not necessarily anything to do with the cutbacks in the home care packages. One imagines it is more a procedural issue. I would be grateful if the Minister of State could provide clarification on the issue. It is a personal issue and a serious one. This incident and the personal situation may be the best way to highlight what we are trying to ascertain.