Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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2199. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 618 of 5 May 2021 and the reply by the HSE, when the boarding out scheme was last reviewed by his Department or an agency under his Department. [36911/21]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The HSE completed a review of the Boarding Out Scheme in 2017. The Scheme facilitates older people to remain in their communities where they may otherwise be accommodated in residential care. It can also help to reduce social isolation. While the use of the Boarding Out Scheme by the HSE has traditionally been small there is value in exploring it further. I have requested that officials in the Department consider this model of care and the Regulations in the context of our overall commitment to enhancing opportunities for older people to stay in their homes and communities for longer. I expect preliminary work to begin later this year.