I am delighted to get the opportunity to speak on the home support providers Bill. The Government is committed to supporting people to stay in their homes as long as possible. It is something I feel passionately about, and the Government feels passionately about. The State currently invests heavily in the provision of home support through the HSE. Home support is provided by the HSE and then indirectly through national contractual arrangements with private home support providers and not-for-profit organisations. Huge funding has gone into this area over the past number of years but there is still a huge amount of work to be done. As our population ages and more individuals prefer to stay in their homes for as long as possible, the demand for quality home care increases. However, with this demand come significant challenges we must address. First and foremost, funding and resources are major concerns. Many home care providers struggle to secure adequate funding to meet the needs of their clients. Current Government supports often fall short, leaving both care workers and recipients in precarious situations. Many families are forced to pick up the financial burden, which can lead to stress and anxiety. For me, the biggest challenge is the workforce shortage. Recruiting and retaining qualified home care givers is becoming increasingly difficult. In my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny, the HSE is at full capacity in terms of what it can do on the home care side of things. It outsources to different providers but still every single week I have somebody in touch with me who has challenges. They have the hours approved and are delighted to have them approved but the workforce is not there to meet the demand. In rural Ireland in particular, this is a huge issue. I spoke with a woman recently. I will not give her exact details but she is almost 100 years of age. She was in hospital before Christmas but is back out. She has been approved for three visits per day, one hour each, for 21 visits over the course of a week. They cannot get anybody to service it.

Sentiment score: 0.31

I will speak to the Minister of State specifically about it offline. It is these sorts of incidences. It is approved. The will is there but the specific person is not there. I appreciate that the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell, will take that on for me because I have another case as well of a lady in her early 40s who due to her medical condition is unfortunately wheelchair bound. When this lady left hospital they could not get anyone to cover the hours, so she ended up going into the local nursing home. She was in the nursing for six weeks all the while her hours were approved. Huge work was done by the HSE and the providers but they simply were not there. Something might need to be done on the education side of things such as making sure there is more access to home care packages qualifications but it is a huge issue in rural Ireland. I am from a place called Skeaghvasteen in County Kilkenny. There might be somebody in Kilkenny city but to drive from Kilkenny city to Skeaghvasteen for a half hour or an hour will not pay them in terms of paying for diesel. It is a huge issue, and it needs to be addressed. The lack of standardisation across services can also be problematic. If you have different agencies providing home care, there is inconsistency in training and quality of service but I think this Bill will really help. I really welcome this element of the Bill where you get that consistency. If we could join it up with some sort of ETB or education training course - a level 5 or level 6 course - that would be really helpful. We also have to consider the emotional and psychological challenges for families and care givers alike with the stress, pressure and anxiety these families are under. By the time they come to me they are on their knees. They are nearly begging. These people are going to the wall themselves but they need that bit of hope and support. The right to be in your own home is huge. That is really important. Addressing the challenges in home care and home help packages is not just about improving services but it is about enhancing quality of life for our elderly and for our vulnerable populations. Together we can work towards a future where everyone has access to compassionate and reliable home care. I trust in the Minister of State that when this Bill is brought through, it will make a difference to families right across the county, but in particular in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny and my constituents who I represent on a daily basis. I appreciate him taking a couple of individual cases on board. I am going to finish up now because myself and Deputy O'Meara have a Pilates class at 6.30 p.m. and we need to get to it. We are meeting the Social Democrats afterwards.

Sentiment score: 0.24