asked the Minister for Health the number of home helps funded directly or indirectly by health boards in each community care area on 31 March 1982 and 31 March in each of the previous three years; and the total amount spent on home help services in each community care area in the last three years ended 31 March.
Written Answers. - Home Help Services.
852.
My Department receive annual returns on the home help services as at 31 December each year. Information is collected on the health board basis and covers both the services provided directly by boards and by voluntary organisations acting on their behalf. A full return for 1981 is not yet available and I propose to circulate with the Official Report information in respect of 1978, 1979 and 1980.
Following is the information:
|
Health Board |
Number of home helps employed full-time (part-time). |
|||||
|
1978 |
1979 |
1980 |
||||
|
Eastern |
43 |
(1,678) |
47 |
(1,890) |
45 |
(1,848) |
|
Midland |
9 |
280) |
14 |
(300) |
24 |
(308) |
|
Mid Western |
7 |
(258) |
4 |
(339) |
2 |
(287) |
|
North Eastern |
14 |
(362) |
15 |
(493) |
16 |
(594) |
|
North Western |
42 |
(553) |
46 |
(791) |
41 |
(855) |
|
South Eastern |
12 |
(489) |
21 |
(320) |
16 |
(710) |
|
Southern |
3 |
(795) |
6 |
(823) |
7 |
(952) |
|
Western |
50 |
(624) |
58 |
(674) |
61 |
(722) |
|
Total |
180 |
(5,039) |
211 |
(5,840) |
172 |
(6,356) |
|
Health Board |
Cost of Home Help Service |
||
|
1978 |
1979 |
1980 |
|
|
Eastern |
499,054 |
782,000 |
816,500 |
|
Midland |
84,070 |
128,933 |
184,936 |
|
Mid Western |
89,853 |
126,430 |
158,308 |
|
North Eastern |
146,849 |
157,288 |
136,641 |
|
North Western |
277,822 |
347,664 |
800,700 |
|
South Eastern |
126,878 |
171,229 |
246,250 |
|
Southern |
247,895 |
320,207 |
384,000 |
|
Western |
400,000 |
455,564 |
630,425 |
|
Total |
1,872,423 |
2,389,295 |
3,351,760 |
853.
asked the Minister for Health if he will make a statement on the measures which have been taken to ensure that the availability of home help services will not be reduced in the current year as compared with 1981 in each community care area throughout the country; and if he will detail the plans for the development of these services.
Additional funds have been made available to health boards to maintain the home help service at the level which obtained in 1981. I am committed to a steady expansion of the service and I expect to be in a position shortly to approve increases in the number of home helps employed.