Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 187: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the agreement she has with the Health Service Executive regarding the national tender for home care packages; when these packages will be available uniformly across the country; her views on persons who need a specialised home care package but cannot avail of same in view of the fact that they are not available across the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30645/10]

Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The guiding principle of 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-based supports such as Home-Help, Meals-on-Wheels, Day/Respite services, and Home Care Packages (HCPs). The Government has continued to prioritise improving services for older people by providing an additional €10m in the last Budget to expand Home Care Packages nationally. This brings the total investment for this Initiative to €130 million per annum. It is estimated that the additional funding will assist up to 1,000 extra recipients, compared to the 2009 position. In total, therefore, the HSE National Service Plan 2010 commits to provide Home Care Packages to around 9,600 people at any one time, or to some 13,000 clients over the course of the year. Packages consist of enhanced supports over and above existing mainstream community services, with the objective of maintaining older people to live at home and in their communities. They are primarily targeted towards those at risk of inappropriate admission to long-term residential care or acute hospitals, or those requiring discharge home from acute hospital. Arising from an independent Evaluation of Home Care Packages, undertaken by PA Consulting Group and published on our website in December last, the Department accepts the need for a more standardised approach to the provision of home care generally, whether by public or private providers. This year the HSE therefore intends to:

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

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

progress a Procurement Framework for home care services; and

introduce Procedural Guidelines for the Home Help service to standardise access to and allocation of Home Help hours.

The Deputy will appreciate that the provision of Home Care Packages, which are made available on a non-statutory basis, are subject to resource limitations, and that demand can therefore often exceed supply. The Evaluation indicated the distribution of HCPs around the country by Local Health Office area. The HSE has been asked, as part of the process to develop a more standardised approach nationally, to review the provision of HCPs, to best meet the objectives set for this particular Initiative.

The process in relation to the Procurement Framework for Home Care services is well advanced and is a matter for the HSE to progress. However, I understand that the tender for this will be published shortly.

The Department will continue to liaise closely with the HSE in relation to progressing the various initiatives now under way.