Written answers

Tuesday, 20 February 2007

Department of Health and Children

Health Services

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10:00 am

Photo of Damien EnglishDamien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 112: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of home help hours delivered for each of the years 1997 to 2006; the allocation of hours per county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6245/07]

Photo of Seán PowerSeán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Home help services are provided by the HSE in order to assist people to remain in their own home and, in many cases, to avoid the necessity of residential care. The Home Help Service by its nature is a flexible service which responds to clients' needs. As a result, therefore, the level of service required in individual cases will fluctuate from time to time. There is a continuing demand for home helps because of the increased number of older people.

There has been significant and sustained investment in this service over the past number of years. The investment package in 2006 provided a sum of €30m which equated to a total of 1.75m additional home help hours in a full year. An additional €21m was allocated in 2007 for further expansion of home help services with the planned delivery of an additional 780,000 hours. This continued investment in the Home Help service comes on top of a baseline budget of €156m or 9.1m hours. The total budget in 2007 for Home Help services (not including those delivered as part of home care packages) is now €207m.

In 2006 there was an increase from the 2005 baseline monthly average of 758,000 to a monthly average of 952,000. This will further increase in 2007. These figures are not inclusive of the additional 620,000 hours of home help which were delivered in respect of home care packages.

Prior to the establishment of the HSE, varying practices had developed in relation to the operation of the Home Help service across the country, including various means of recording data. The multiplicity of statutory and voluntary providers supplying these critical services to both older people, as well as people with disabilities, operated in very different ways. This makes the provision of comparable data more difficult. The HSE has informed the Department that figures are now being recorded in a standardized format across all areas. The following table outlines Home Help hours on a county basis for 2006.

Home Help Hours January-December 2006
Dublin Mid-LeinsterJanFebMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptOctNovDecTotal
Dún Laoghaire4,4964,5345,0395,2235,2876,9967,1026,9967,0817,3388,4347,82976,355
Dublin South East8,3998,3188,8859,80110,03811,16110,8079,6249,68010,14610,69110,940118,490
Wicklow19,57719,97124,98121,27021,64624,69122,65624,29124,44020,91523,32026,205273,962
Dublin South City11,61611,79913,36112,56212,41814,08214,14012,16215,34113,59113,90415,923160,899
Dublin South West10,84811,82611,87912,43812,39213,05913,67513,39613,37113,76814,10415,056155,812
Dublin West18,36116,55519,39019,40317,78320,33020,31221,21120,00122,88820,54924,846241,629
Kildare / West Wicklow32,09431,68334,07332,23332,34939,77832,81832,83741,22533,23733,10941,384416,820
Laois / Offaly16,22217,04328,56625,21324,83521,27327,35522,17922,72323,43427,05827,058282,959
Longford / Westmeath19,94424,77126,16623,90724,50324,56423,08223,19922,74522,02123,83421,474280,210
141,557146,500172,340162,050161,251175,934171,947165,895176,607167,338175,003190,7152,007,137
Home Help Hours January-December 2006
SouthJanFebMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptOctNovDecTotal
North Lee92,006*46,63847,44448,36147,96948,03948,14949,52850,87850,16649,23549,312627,724
South Lee72,011*37,66239,13439,40039,15439,66941,09141,68041,66041,56240,79240,838514,655
North Cork63,255*31,18732,93033,91133,11334,17834,27235,85836,78337,89837,65039,368450,401
West Cork43,404*22,08623,71323,43722,94322,78223,60723,19323,34423,21923,14622,445297,317
Kerry110,718*57,75960,71259,35958,50460,84860,64059,21662,75961,88963,87663,861780,140
South Tipp30,72430,72434,47331,21233,87133,90634,20635,45534,89536,50335,43235,400406,801
Carlow / Kilkenny16,96315,84818,68416,37917,96718,18218,18219,08017,94019,29418,66518,665215,849
Waterford16,60416,69016,74817,38019,62217,34217,00217,17417,11418,01817,58418,014209,292
Wexford19,56020,18419,97219,95219,82819,88420,01819,98021,91422,24822,89324,082250,515
465,245278,778293,810289,390292,971294,829297,166301,164307,287310,798309,271311,9853,752,693
*Four pay periods combined.
Home Help Hours January-December 2006
Dublin North EastJanFebMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptOctNovDecTotal
Louth25,46127,13728,92428,54628,87828,84930,52528,65628,85228,55053,40239,136376,916
Cavan/Monaghan38,00639,88441,21642373418464535143,65743,24644,48045,48546,47948,039520,062
Meath24,91926,21626,94326,96926,87838,43726,15224,71030,83135,71236,35344,610368,730
Dublin North West16,59914,73320,27916,58218,36719,46219,86521,86723,88523,90626,25926,654248,458
Dublin North Central36,29335,78840,91637,71638,60946,17541,84442,75548,00045,45046,55445,807505,907
Dublin North29,45429,47640,94933,45632,97649,58542,69542,45350,61448,22447,91849,913497,713
170,732173,234199,227185,642187,554227,859204,738203,687226,662227,327256,965254,1592,517,786
Home Help Hours January-December 2006
WestJanFebMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptOctNovDecTotal
Limerick31,67030,54937,35131,23235,34534,84334,25538,79435,93136,69437,44636,380420,490
Clare17,76416,56117,83617,50717,42617,69118,01719,89418,23719,79724,48019,906225,116
North Tipperary22,90521,74724,42722,05625,29924,63824,16526,71026,61928,74529,85330,368307,532
Sligo/Leitrim39,17938,76242,37640,76342,15941,98844,22042,99543,50743,15741,77743,169504,052
Donegal50,12246,67452,41147,88950,78950,04954,26154,20154,98756,29756,03258,201631,913
Galway33,24032,26033,39733,45035,27736,41137,01738,35839,91142,32142,25842,571446,471
Mayo35,06236,43835,12038,09935,50438,00538,77937,99540,06237,41639,79139,732452,003
Roscommon12,12813,27812,76812,89711,94412,65212,12712,88814,45515,77416,14318,323165,377
242,070236,269255,686243,893253,743256,277262,841271,835273,709280,201287,780288,6503,152,954
*It is important to note that the hours identified in each month are dependent on the pay returns within the HSE areas within the month. Some months will include two pay periods while others will include three / four pay periods. On this basis the quarterly returns give the more accurate position in terms of average monthly figures being provided while for instance individual months such as January may give a higher figure as an additional pay period may be included.
In addition, returns in respect of voluntary service providers may be subject to some minor adjustment due to the reporting time frame.

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