Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
1667. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health the steps that he is taking to ensure that home carers can access the necessary visas to ensure that they do not have to prematurely exit the labour market thereby contributing to the shortages of home carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39757/22]
View answerIn order to resolve the challenges the home-support sector faces, I have established a cross-departmental Strategic Workforce Advisory Group.
Following a call for submissions from relevant stakeholders, I opened the first meeting of the cross-departmental Strategic Workforce Advisory Group in March 2022. The remit of the Group is to identify—and formulate recommendations to address—strategic workforce challenges in the home-support and nursing home sectors. Accordingly, the Group is examining issues such as the recruitment, retention, training, career-development, and pay and conditions of front-line carers in these sectors so that solutions can be found. Recruitment issues related to employment of non-EEA citizens have been considered and a number of Departments consulted.
To date the Group has met five times and it’s deliberations have been informed by a structured programme of stakeholder-engagement consisting of a series of bilateral meetings and a facilitated workshop. Engagement with key stakeholders in the home-support and nursing home sectors continues to inform the Group’s exploration of the issues arising.
The Group will submit a report outlining key findings and recommendations for my consideration by end of September 2022.
