Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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192. To ask the Minister for Health if he will increase investment in community and home based care to support and enable people with dementia to remain living at home for as long as possible, in budget 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29166/16]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Irish National Dementia Strategy was launched in December 2014, with the objective of increasing awareness, ensuring early diagnosis and intervention and developing enhanced community based services.

In parallel with the Strategy the Department of Health and the HSE have agreed a joint initiative with the Atlantic Philanthropies to implement significant elements of the Strategy over the period 2014-2017. This Implementation Programme represents a combined investment of €27.5m, with the Atlantic Philanthropies contributing €12m and the HSE €15.5m.

Key elements of the initiative include:

- the roll-out of a programme of Intensive Home Care Packages for people with dementia valued at €22.1 million;

- the provision of additional dementia-specific resources for GPs and Primary Care Teams to include training materials and guidance on local services and contact points valued at €1.2 million;

- measures to raise public awareness, address stigma and promote the inclusion and involvement in society of those with dementia valued at €2.7 million.

The roll out of Intensive Home Care packages commenced in January 2015 and monitoring of the allocation and uptake of these packages to persons with dementia is ongoing. To date 133 people living with dementia have benefitted under the funding allocated from the National Dementia Implementation Programme at an average cost of €1,000 per package per week. There are currently 72 people with dementia in receipt of an Intensive Home Care Package. Up to 500 people with dementia and their families are expected to benefit from Intensive Home Care Packages over the lifetime of the implementation programme. In addition to the Intensive Home Care Packages the HSE will continue to provide mainstream home help and routine Home Care packages to people with dementia whose needs have been assessed as requiring these supports and within available resources.

It is Government policy that, wherever possible and appropriate, people should be cared for in their own homes and communities, and the National Dementia Strategy specifically restates this commitment to those living with dementia.

The HSE’s National Service Plan for 2016 provides for a target of 10.4 million Home Help Hours to support about 47,800 people. It also provides for 15,450Home Care Packagesand130Intensive Home Care Packages for clients with complex needs. A further 60clients with dementia will be supported with co-funding from Atlantic Philanthropies under the Irish National Dementia Strategy.

Home support services across the country are being stretched by demands from more people, and for more hours at times outside of core hours, in the evenings and at weekends, all of which cost more. Activity in the first quarter of 2016 was ahead of the same period last year as efforts continued to alleviate pressure on the acute hospital system.

The Government has been able to respond to this demand by providing an extra €40m for home care in 2016. This will ensure that the home support services provided in 2015 are maintained and that the rate of service allocation can be maintained during the summer months. €10m of this money has been ring fenced for home care as part of the new winter initiative. The targets for 2016 will be reviewed in light of these additional resources.

The Programme for a Partnership Government also commits to increasing provision for home care in the years ahead. This will be considered in the normal way in the context of each annual Estimates process.