‘Scandal’ that more than 1,000 people in Cork and Kerry are waiting for home help

More than 4,000 home support hours approved for people in Cork and Kerry in July were not delivered, while more than 1,100 people in the region were on waiting lists for home help support.

The figures were released by the HSE in response to a parliamentary question.

They show that 263,795 hours of home support were approved across Cork and Kerry in July and of these 259,609 hours were delivered with 4,185 hours (or 1.6%) waitlisted/unfilled.

A total of 674 people were waitlisted for new services at the end of last month while 456 were waitlisted for additional hours or part of their originally prescribed service.

A HSE spokesperson explained in response to a parliamentary question that the majority of clients who are prescribed home support in the health area have a service commence almost immediately.

“Despite a significant level of service provision, the demand for home support nationally and regionally continues to grow as the population aged over 65 years increases,” they said, adding: “Improving access to home support is a Government and HSE priority”.

The spokesperson added: “On occasion, part of the prescribed service may not be put in place and needs to be temporarily waitlisted — this would be predominantly down to lack of carer availability in the area.”

The waiting list is made up of both clients who are awaiting a new service (that is, who currently are not in receipt of any service), and clients who are awaiting additional hours/part of the originally prescribed service (people who are receiving some home support).

“Waiting lists are constantly being assessed, with priority given to those being discharged from hospital,” a HSE spokesperson told The Echo.

“We continue to endeavour to deliver a home support service to as many clients as possible in the face of a challenging employment environment and the ongoing increased demand for home support,” the spokesperson added.

Cork North-Central Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould had sought the figures via a parliamentary question.

He voiced concern that over 4,000 hours of approved home help hours were not delivered in Cork and Kerry, describing it as “a shocking indictment of this Government’s complete failure to protect the most vulnerable in our communities”.

Mr Gould accused the Government of having “no plan and no vision” for home support, saying that inaction on this front is forcing elderly people into hospitals or nursing home beds.

“For many of these people, access to home helps is the support needed so that they can stay in their home and community,” he said.

“These are people who do not yet need nursing home care, but some will be forced prematurely into a nursing home because of this.”

The Cork North-Central TD said the issue also meant that people were forced to rely on family care.

“This Government’s failure to properly resource home helps strips older people and those with disabilities of their dignity,” the Sinn Féin TD added.

“It forces them to rely on family care where it is available — and for those who don’t have family able to help, it leaves them isolated and unsafe.

“That over 1,000 people are waiting for their full home help access, and almost 700 of these get no support at all, is scandalous.”