Plan will leave 7,500 without home care

OLDER, more vulnerable citizens have been ‘short-changed’ by a HSE plan which will leave 7,500 without home care, it has been claimed.

Home and Community Care Ireland (HCCI) said the HSE National Service Plan (NSP) 2024 aims to provide 22 million home care hours in 2024, a drop on the previous year’s target of 23.9 million hours – despite the HSE’s acknowledgement that demand for home care will increase by 4% this year.

It said the gap between target hours and actual need will mean 7,500 people are left without home care support.

The NSP, published earlier this week acknowledged that the cost of running the HSE would exceed its allocated budget for the year.

HCCI chief Joseph Musgrave said: ‘Demand for home care is expected to be double 2018 levels by 2030. Despite this, the home care system’s capacity is going backwards. The HSE plan shows we are not keeping pace with the current demand, let alone the huge projected increase within the next five to six years.’

He said the plan, published earlier this week, pledged the HSE would partner with voluntary groups to meet older persons’ needs. However, he said the plan ‘shies away’ from highlighting its crucial partnership with the private home care sector – which provides 50% of home care

‘We are not keeping pace with the current demand’

support to people across the country. Mr Musgrave added: ‘The private sector is ready and willing to work with the HSE and Government to meet the steep increases in demand hurtling down the track.

‘A realistic, ambitious and collaborative approach is urgently needed. Otherwise, our older, more vulnerable citizens will continue to be severely short changed.’

Meanwhile, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association criticised the lack of commitment in the plan to open a specified number of additional general acute hospital beds this year.

It said Health Minister Stephen Donnelly had previously announced plans to open 147 additional acute beds in 2024, but that this was not reflected in the plan.

In response to the criticism from HCCI, the HSE said: ‘One third of adults aged over 75 years are living with frailty in Ireland. We must continue to provide support to enable them to remain living at home, in their communities, as independently as possible for as long as is feasible.’