Vol. 572 No. 3
356 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the recent instructions given to home helps by some health boards regarding the nature and extent of their interaction with clients and the reduction of the services they provide their clients; if this instruction was ratified by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23005/03]
As the Deputy will be aware, responsibility for the provision of health services rests with the health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority. Accordingly, I have instructed my Department to refer the issue raised by the Deputy to all of the health boards and the authority, for immediate investigation. When the requisite information has been furnished, my Department will revert to the Deputy, as a matter of urgency.
357 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the significant cutbacks which are occurring in the home help service in the Southern Health Board area; the additional resources he intends to provide for this service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23006/03]
As the Deputy may be aware, responsibility for the administration of health services in County Cork rests with the Southern Health Board in the first instance. The board has informed my Department that there has been significant development of the home help service over the last number of years with 2.6 million home help hours being provided to clients in the board's functional area in 2002. In addition, the number of clients in receipt of a home help service increased from 4,000 in 2000 to 7,000 in 2002.
In recognition of the importance of this service, the board has pointed out that funding of €30 million is being allocated for the provision of this service in 2003. This will enable the board to provide approximately 2.6 million home help hours to 7,000 clients in 2003, which is equivalent to the number of people who received a service in 2002. The board has further stated that expenditure on the home help service accounts for 25% of total expenditure on community services for older people in the board's area.
The home help service by its nature is a flexible service which responds to clients' needs. As a result, therefore, the level of service required in individual cases will fluctuate from time to time. To ensure effective prioritisation of the service the board has advised my Department that assessments are undertaken at local sector level and are carried out in all cases by the board's public health nursing service with the service being targeted at high and medium dependency clients in accordance with their assessed need.
