Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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2302. To ask the Minister for Health the status of plans to ease the shortage of home help care providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20522/21]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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A high-quality, consistent home-support service, focused on keeping people well in their homes and communities for as long as possible, is a key enabler to ensuring that people across a continuum of care get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

To advance this, the Government is committed to establishing a new, statutory scheme for the financing and regulation of home-support services, which the Department of Health is currently developing.

It is envisaged that the new scheme will provide equitable access to high-quality services based on a person’s assessed care-needs and transparency about service-allocation while ensuring that the scheme operates consistently across the country. The new scheme will build on the HSE’s continual enhancement of existing service-provision and on emerging good practice across the current system of health and social care delivery. It will also integrate effectively with other health and social care services, including the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (‘Fair Deal’) and primary care services.

As part of this work, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) is undertaking a programme of research on behalf of the Department on the demand for, and cost of, home support. This research will assist with identifying the associated workforce requirements for the introduction of such a scheme.

An additional €150 million is being provided for home support in 2021. The very significant additional funding will provide a further 5 million hours over this year’ target aimed at keeping older people healthy and happy, in their community, for as long as possible. This represents about a 26% increase in home support hours over the 2020 NSP target. This funding will also support the continuing development of the Statutory Scheme for Home Care.

Health Care Assistants have played a valuable role in the HSE’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. At present, the HSE are embarking on the implementation of the National Review of the Role of the Health Care Assistants which, unfortunately, was delayed due to the onset of the pandemic. Meetings between HSE officials, Industry Representatives and Union Officials are currently ongoing.

In addition, and in response to the Government initiative to expand the scope and number of apprenticeships available in the public service, the Health Service Executive has committed to establishing a National Framework of Qualifications level 5 apprenticeship for the occupation of Health Care Assistant." Officials from my Department will be working with colleagues in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation & Science and the HSE to develop this apprenticeship model of training for Health Care Assistants. This initiative will be undertaken in conjunction with the implementation of the National Review of the Role of the Health Care Assistants and together will enhance the role and career development of Health Care Assistants.