Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 July 2017
361. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health his plans to introduce a statutory right to care in the home for elderly or infirm persons that wish to avail of home care packages in circumstances in which it is medically safe to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32070/17]
View answerThe Government is committed to promoting care in the community for older people so that they can continue to live in their own homes for as long as possible. In this regard, the Department of Health is currently engaged in a detailed process to develop plans for a new statutory scheme and system of regulation for home care services.
The statutory scheme for home care will introduce clear rules in relation to what services individuals are eligible for and how decisions are made on allocating services. For that reason, developing a new statutory scheme will be an important step in ensuring that the system operates in a consistent and fair manner for all those who need home care services. It will also help to improve access to the home care services that people need, in an affordable and sustainable way.
I, along with Minister Harris, launched a public consultation on home care services on 6 July. The purpose of this consultation is to allow all those who have views on this topic to have their say, including older people themselves, their families, and healthcare workers. It will also help us to find out what people think about current home care services as well as the public’s views on what the future scheme should look like. I strongly urge all those with an interest in home care services to make a submission to the consultation which closes on 31 August.
A report of the findings of this consultation process will be published and the findings will be used by the Department in the development of the new home care scheme.
