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New HSE figures reveal that less than a third of homecare packages are directly provided by the State, with more than 5,500 people waiting for support or additional hours. An Opposition TD has warned that without urgent action, nursing homes will become the default option for older people.
Less than a third of homecare packages are being directly provided by the Health Service Executive, new figures reveal, with more than 5,500 people currently waiting for support in their own homes or for additional care hours.
The data underscores a deepening crisis in the State's home support services at a time when demand is accelerating due to Ireland's ageing population. Opposition politicians have warned that, without significant policy change, nursing homes risk becoming the default option for older people who would prefer to remain in their communities.
The HSE figures show that, as of the end of June, 5,539 people were waiting for homecare, an increase of 12 per cent compared with the same period the previous year. Of those, 2,143 were new service users seeking access to the system for the first time, while 3,396 were already in receipt of home support but were waiting on additional hours to meet their needs. Two HSE regions account for almost half of the national waiting list.
The West and Northwest region, covering Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, west Cavan, Mayo, Galway and Roscommon, had the highest waiting list with 1,265 people, representing 23 per cent of the total. The Dublin and North East region was next highest, with 1,165 people waiting, or 21 per cent of the national total.
In its reply, the HSE acknowledged that just 29.8 per cent of home support hours were provided through direct services in the first six months of the year, with the remaining hours delivered indirectly through external providers. The proportion of care provided directly by the HSE has gradually decreased in recent years, having stood at 44 per cent in 2019.
Demand has grown alongside demographic shifts, with the population aged 65 and over increasing by 165,000 to 891,100 between 2020 and this year. This age group now accounts for 16.1 per cent of the population, up from 14.4 per cent in 2020. Kathleen Jordan, HSE head of services for older people, access and integration, said home support services had experienced sustained and significant growth in recent years.
This growth reflected increasing demographic demand as well as policy goals to support people to remain living in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. Jordan noted that this year's national service plan provides for the delivery of 27 million hours of home support to 62,000 service users, an increase of 10 per cent in budget terms.
She added that as pressures across the wider health system continue to increase, home support remains a critical component in facilitating hospital avoidance and supporting timely hospital discharge. Commenting on the figures, an Opposition TD criticised the Government over what he described as a permanent crisis in homecare that cannot be tolerated any longer.
He argued that if Ireland is to move away from a situation where nursing homes are viewed as the default option for older people, then the State must provide the necessary homecare hours to support people to remain in their homes and communities. He said the Government loves to talk about the virtues of homecare but consistently fails to deliver it, noting that a statutory right to homecare has been promised for almost a decade without materialisation.
He urged the Government to finally match its rhetoric with action, emphasising that additional homecare hours are desperately needed but that there must be a greater focus on scaling up public provision rather than relying so heavily on outsourcing. This approach, he concluded, would better serve the interests of both older people and homecare workers across the country
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