Written answers

Tuesday, 14 July 2015

Department of Health

Respite Care Services

Photo of Robert TroyRobert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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700. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the status of the 90 bed respite facility promised for Athlone, County Westmeath; the number of home care hours that have been provided in counties Westmeath and Longford from 2013 to 2015; and if he has considered increasing the hours of home care assistants, to allow for more elderly persons to stay at home. [29186/15]

Photo of Kathleen LynchKathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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There are no plans to develop a 90 bed respite unit in Athlone as there is an adequate supply of beds in the area.

With regard to home care services, the HSE provides a range of community-based services aimed at ensuring older people receive safe, timely and appropriate care and treatment at the lowest level of complexity, and as close to home as possible. Services are provided on a prioritised basis based on a care needs assessment and availability of resources.

In its National Service Plan (NSP) for 2015 the HSE stated that it will continue to progress the strategic realignment of services to provide home care and community support services in order to maximise the potential of older people in their own homes and communities. The levels of home supports planned for in the NSP are:

- 10.3 millionhoursof home help service supporting 50,000 people -this is same level of service as 2014;

- 13,800 peoplein receipt of a home care packages at any one time - this includes an additional 600 people supported under the delayed discharges initiative;

- 190 peoplein receipt of an intensive home care package at any one time - these packages were introduced for the first time in 2014 for people with more complex care needs.

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