Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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688. To ask the Minister for Health the 2020 budgetary allocation of his Department for the implementation of the national dementia strategy. [9313/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The National Dementia Strategy was published in December 2014, with the aim of improving care, services and supports for people with dementia.

The HSE currently provides approximately €9 million per annum for intensive home care packages, including in the region of €7.9 million for dementia-specific packages. Since the packages were introduced at the end of 2014, 443 dementia-specific intensive homecare packages have been delivered, with 124 active at the end of May 2020. 

People with dementia can also benefit from standard home support services. An additional €52 million was provided in 2020 for home support services, bringing the total budget in 2020 to almost €490 million and a target in the National Service Plan 2020 to deliver over 19.2 million hours of home support. It was intended that over 53,700 people would be in receipt of home support services at any one time, including approximately 235 people who would receive intensive home support packages to a level of 360,000 hours. However, the spread of COVID-19 is posing significant challenges for many areas of the health service, including home support services.

The HSE provides in the region of €12 million in annual funding to a range of organisations who deliver dementia-specific respite, home care, day care, cognitive stimulation therapy, social clubs and supports for family carers around the country.

In addition,  the HSE provides €400,000 per annum in support for the Dementia Adviser Service which spans 12 counties and is operated by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. In line with the continued rollout of the Sláintecare Implementation Plan, €10 million has been secured in Budget 2020 to enhance Community Services including allied health professionals, with a full year investment of €60 million for 2021. As well as providing for up to 1,000 therapists, nurses and other professionals in the community, this funding will also facilitate the recruitment of additional dementia advisers, whose information, advice and signposting service is highly valued by people with dementia and their families and carers.

€6.26 million has been secured through the 2016, 2017 and 2018 Dormant Accounts Action Plans for a range of dementia projects completed or being rolled out by the HSE's National Dementia Office. Funded projects include a national network of memory technology resource rooms, the mapping of dementia-specific community based services, a national rollout of the Dementia Training Programme for HSE homecare staff, a national intellectual disability memory service and a review of the diagnostic process for people with early-onset dementia.

In summer 2019, a €1 million fund was made available for community and voluntary groups to continue to support older people to stay well and remain connected with their local community. Approximately €250,000 of this funding is dedicated to dementia related initiatives.