Maura Hopkins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House today. I want to raise the need for increased supports for home care packages and home help supports in County Roscommon, which has one of the oldest populations in the country and one of the most rural. We need to target areas with the greatest need and ensure adequate home care services are being provided to individuals who need them. I am concerned. I have received several calls from families regarding the provision of adequate home care support for their relatives. I can point to several specific cases where, despite strong recommendations from health care professionals outlining a clear need for increased care at home, this has not been provided. It is not good enough that the specific needs of individuals in respect of personal care, domestic tasks and other daily activities are not being met. It is also particularly difficult to get weekend cover. I have raised these issues numerous times with the Health Service Executive, HSE.

I have also received calls from home helps and relatives about the length of visits. Some have told me that visits have been reduced from 45 to 30 minutes. It is impractical for many to help an individual get up, get dressed, have breakfast and be prepared for the day in 30 minutes. It is extremely important that we support people to remain in their homes, but that requires proper home care packages and an adequate number of home help hours.

Our focus needs to be on the individual receiving the care. It is a question of delivering good quality care for the client, of the client’s welfare and of supporting families and family carers to look after their loved ones at home. Home care services are critical to allowing people stay in their own homes and communities for the longest time possible and to preventing early admission to long-term residential care.I also want to point out concerns and difficulties that have been raised with me about not-for-profit home care providers. If someone is receiving home help form a non-profit provider which is funded by the HSE but it is not currently possibly to get an additional number of hours privately from the same provider.

The importance of the client-carer relationship cannot be underestimated. These people are some of the most vulnerable within our society. A new person coming into their home for the provision of home help or care can be a cause of unease and anxiety for many people. When that relationship is built up, the value of it should not be underestimated. It should be recognised and there should be a consistency in terms of care provision. The arrangement with the non-profit organisations is a business one, with payment being made following the provision of home help hours. There is a need to review the funding model with regard to the non-profit sector in order to allow for more flexibility in terms of care provision.

I understand that work is under way on the consultation period for the development of a statutory home care scheme which would very much be focused and tailored towards meeting the needs of the individual.

I have plenty of experience in this sector, having worked as an occupational therapist and having seen the value of home care being provided. I have also seen the challenges when not enough home care is provided. That is why I am raising it today. I have genuine, serious concerns about the adequacy of home care provision within County Roscommon.