Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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89. To ask the Minister for Health if he will ensure that there will be no reduction in home help and home care packages for elderly persons and persons with a disability in 2016; the total funding available for home help and home care packages; and if there is a funding shortfall within the Health Service Executive for the provision of these vital supports. [13735/16]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Home care services are key to facilitating older people to remain in their homes and communities for as long as possible and the strengthening of home care services is an objective to which this Government is committed.

In 2016, the HSE has a core provision of €324m for home supports (these include Home Help, which provides support with routine tasks of daily living, and Home Care Packages, which provide a higher level of support and cater for clients with higher dependencies). Service levels are being maintained this year and there has been no reduction in the resources available for these home supports in 2016.

The HSE’s National Service Plan for this year provides for a target of 10.4 million Home Help Hours to support about 47,800 people. It also provides for 15,450 Home Care Packages,130Intensive Home Care Packages for clients with very complex needs and 313 transitional care beds. A further 60 clients with dementia will be supported with co-funding from Atlantic Philanthropies under the Irish National Dementia Strategy.