Vol. 564 No. 2
185 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children the criteria laid down by his Department in regard to the home help system; if his Department draws up the guidelines; if his Department provides the funding on an individual basis or as part of its overall allocation for such a service; if the costings for this service is to be provided by the health board from its overall allocation from his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9111/03]
188 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children if his Department's funding to health boards for home help assistance has been reduced; if not, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that health boards are halving the hours allocated to recipients; the reasons for such reduction; if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that this reduction is having major effects in relation to the receipts; if the matter will be investigated and resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9114/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 185 and 188 together.
The home help service in this country was established under section 61 of the Health Act 1970 and became operative in 1972 when circular 11/72 was sent to the chief executive officer of each health board. Section 61 of the Health Act 1970 states that a health board "may make arrangements to assist in the maintenance at home of certain categories of people". Broad guidelines were then drawn up by the health board chief executive officers in order that the scheme could be administered in a flexible manner.
|
Year |
Additional fundingto increase supply ofhome helps |
Additional fundingto improve pay ofhome helps, overand above NationalPay Rounds |
|
€m |
€m |
|
|
1999 |
1.905 |
3.797 |
|
2000 |
0.990 |
13.306 |
|
2001 |
2.540 |
4.444 |
|
2002 |
2.093 |
– |
|
South-Eastern: |
Hours provided in 2002 = 781,712. |
|
Estimated hours in 2003 = 810,570 |
|
|
Mid-Western: |
Average home help hours per week in 2002 was 13,300. |
|
Average, to-date, in 2003 is 13,850. |
|
|
North-Eastern: |
The planned target for 2003 is a total of 783,078 hours, the same as the out-turn for 2001. The same target was planned for 2002, but it was exceeded by almost 11%. |
|
Western: |
The target in 2003 is to provide the same level of service as the existing funded level of service provided in 2002. |
|
Southern: |
The total number of home help hours provided for 2002 was 2,781,972 to approximately 7,000 clients. This includes approximately 170,000 hours in respect of annual leave and training for home helps. The net number of hours provided to clients was 2,611,972. |
|
An allocation of €30 million is provided in the board's 2003 service plan for the home help service. The board estimates that this level of allocation will enable the board to deliver an approximate 2,660,000 home help hours to 7,000 clients during 2003. |
|
|
North-Western: |
In the board's service plan for 2003, it is proposed to maintain the 2002 service levels of home support hours in 2003 i.e. 678,744 hours. |
|
Midland: |
The target in 2003 is to provide the same level of service as the existing funded level of service provided in 2002 and where additional funding permits to increase overall the quantum of home help services being provided. |
186 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of home helps employed by the South-Western Area Health Board; the number of applications for home help assistance in each of the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9112/03]
187 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons that the South-Western Health Board is allocating in regard to new applications for home help assistance; if this is different to cases of a similar nature that are already on the books of the board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9113/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 186 and 187 together.
The provision of health services in this area is, in the first instance, the responsibility of the Eastern Regional Health Authority.
