More than 1,500 people on Home Support Service waiting list in Cork and Kerry 

A WELL-KNOWN advocate for the elderly has described as an “appalling situation” the number of people in Cork and Kerry awaiting additional or new Home Support from the HSE.

Across the two counties, there were 1,542 people on waiting lists as of the end of October.

Speaking to The Echo, Paddy O’Brien, who has been an advocate for the elderly in Cork for decades, described the lengthy waiting lists as an “appalling situation”.

Mr O’Brien said the Home Support Service is, in many cases, crucial to keeping elderly people in their own homes, which he said is the preference of the “vast majority” of people.

The organiser of the popular Over 60s Talent Competition claimed that previously an elderly person in need of home support could be set up with a Health Care Support Assistant (HCSA), formerly known as a ‘Home Help’, within a matter of hours.

“Back some years, I could get a call at 10am for a Home Help – at 2pm there would be a Home Help up at that house,” he said, calling for urgent action to combat lengthy waiting lists.

A spokesperson for Cork Kerry Community Healthcare (CKCH) said CKCH “continues to endeavour to deliver a home support service to as many clients as possible in the face of a challenging employment environment and an increasing demand for home support”.

The spokesperson acknowledged that the provision of home support is a “core service for older people and their families and is essential in supporting older people to continue to live within their communities”.

“The majority of clients who are prescribed Home Support have a service commence almost immediately," said the spokesperson.

“However, on occasions, part of the prescribed service may not be put in place - this would be predominantly down to lack of carer availability in the area."

Waiting lists, they said, are constantly being validated to ensure they are correct, with “priority given to those being discharged from hospital”.

“Despite the significant level of service provision, the demand for Home Support, and its importance as an alternative service to long stay care, has grown considerably over the past number of years.

“The ageing population is also directly impacting our workforce with 189 HCSA (Home Support) retiring or resigning in the period January to end [of] September 2023.

“Another challenge which we have faced throughout the year is competing with the private and voluntary sectors to access the same skilled workforce, and recently the pause on recruitment.

“Since the Covid pandemic, and with Ireland currently at full employment with unemployment rates dipping to their lowest levels since records began, there also appears to be a shift away from caring roles, such as the HCSA (Home Support) role, towards other employment sectors,” the spokesperson added.

- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services.