Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 109: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if there are plans to limit the time home helps can spend on specific tasks; the other measures or proposals planned that will affect the provision of home help services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25918/10]

Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Government policy is to support older people to live in dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. This is realised through a range of community services such as Home-Help, Home Care Packages, Meals-on-Wheels, and Day/Respite care. Such supports have the added objectives of reducing inappropriate admissions by older people to acute hospital or long-term residential care.

The HSE has responsibility for the delivery of the Home-Help service, in line with the HSE National Service Plan 2010. This Plan commits the Executive to provide 11.98 million Home-Help hours nationally this year to over 54,000 people. The target for 2010 for Home-Help hours is unchanged over the 2009 figure. Arising from an independent Evaluation of Home Care Packages, published by the Department in December last, the HSE recently established a Task Group to progress this year various improvements in home care provision generally. These include:-

introduce standardised access and operational guidelines for the delivery of Home Care Packages;

adopt a voluntary code of Quality Guidelines for Home Care Support Services for Older People ; and

progress a new Procurement Framework for home care services.

In addition, the HSE is also developing Procedural Guidelines for the Home Help service which will standardise access to and allocation of Home Help hours to assist the Executive in managing the scheme in an equitable way across the country. The various Guidelines now being prepared are intended to allow the HSE adopt a more standardised approach nationally this year to the provision of home care services. They will be finalised to achieve this objective, while acting as improved guidance in relation to operational issues such as that raised by the Deputy, without compromising the key principle to retain flexibility to best meet the Home Care needs of each individual.