I am really glad to have the opportunity to speak on this very important legislation. In reading through the Bill, I was reminded of the very damning HIQA report that was published at the time, which called for a complete overhaul of home care services. That report raised concerns around the fact that there are no minimum standards of care when it comes to home care services. I recall raising this very report during Leaders' Questions. At that time, I was assured the regulations were being worked on by the Minister. That report and that Leaders' Questions were from December 2021, over four years ago. I have always found it disturbing that we have home care workers going into homes, particularly where older people live on their own where they are extremely vulnerable, and there are no regulations in place. The Minister of State said in his statement, "There are inherent risks for service users in the provision of health and social care services by an unregulated sector." It does not really bear thinking about what those risks have been in all the years gone by, and how they have played out in some circumstances. It never made sense to me that when we raised questions in terms of home care, the HSE was not in a position to provide a list of private providers who go into homes of older people, people with disabilities and our most vulnerable citizens. This legislation is long overdue and it is extremely welcome, but it is really urgent that it is moved on as quickly as possible. For many in the sector who have waited so long for this, such as those represented by Home and Community Care Ireland, HCCI, we need to give assurances that these regulations will be fit for purpose. We also need to give clarity on the timeframe for this. As we know, some private providers are very much partnered with the HSE and essentially do the work of the HSE. They provide the home care that the HSE cannot provide. I have referenced Roscommon Homecare Services in the Dáil before in terms of the excellent care they provide. This not-for-profit organisation provides so much home care support and services in our communities and in the wider area. It is important when debating this Bill to acknowledge that this is just one issue. This legislation typically deals with the regulations and the need for regulations but there are many other issues that are constant in terms of home care, particularly the waiting list. The latest figures I have for Galway state that 357 people are waiting for home care. It is significant that 248 people receiving the service have been found to be entitled to additional hours but are waiting to receive those additional hours. That puts so much stress and worry on the person and on their loved ones. The question of rushed visits has been raised many times, particularly for the workers themselves. We have to acknowledge not only that workers are being rushed in terms of these visits with the travel and all of that, but also the impact that has on the person they are caring for, who is made to feel merely like a ticked box. It must be a horrible feeling for someone who is vulnerable. It is so important we get this Bill through as quickly as possible. I hope the Minister of State might be able to provide some kind of timeframe for that.

Sentiment score: 0.29