Taoiseach acknowledges issue in Cork and Kerry with providing home-care services to older people

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has acknowledged that there is an issue in Cork and Kerry with providing home-care services to older people.

Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North West Aindrias Moynihan raised the issue in the Dáil this week, saying that there are “black-spot areas” where the HSE cannot deliver home-help services.

“I need to raise the issue of delays in the delivery of home-care packages to vulnerable people, particularly in the Cork-and-Kerry region,” he said to the Taoiseach.

“Across the country, more than 5,000 people are waiting for home-care packages, with more than 1,000 of them on waiting lists in the Cork-and-Kerry region.

“Very often, these are people who have been assessed as needing a home-care package and the HSE is not able to find somebody to deliver the service to them.

“In the meantime, these older people are struggling at home alone. They may be caring for an elderly loved one or they may be stuck in an acute hospital, waiting for discharge,” Mr Moynihan added.

“The HSE has identified various black spots, where it is not able to deliver the service itself and neither is it able to get independent services to do that.

“It means that, in the meantime, these people are stuck while they are waiting for the service.

“It is hugely important that they be able to live independently with dignity and that those services be delivered in a timely manner.

“Can the HSE ensure that service will be delivered, especially in the black-spot areas?”

Mr Martin said he “did not disagree” with Mr Moynihan.

“We have a problem in the Cork area. I have a well-informed minister and minister of state here, who confirm that.

“Notwithstanding the fact that 24m hours were allocated for home-care packages this year, which is an increase of 7m hours compared with four years ago, that does not help the deputy’s experience and that of people in his constituency.

“There seems to be an issue in the Cork-and-Kerry area that we have to address,” Mr Martin added.

Then minister of state for older people, Mary Butler, said last October that the waiting list in the Cork-and-Kerry area “has always been longer than anywhere else”.

She explained that they had the funding for all of the home care that is necessary, “but the problem lies in trying to get the staff to deliver that support, especially in rural areas and at weekends”.