Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 February 2024
166. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health if he will respond to the issues raised in the Alliance of Age Sector NGOs report: Taking Stock (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8238/24]
View answerI would like to assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to supporting positive ageing across the lifecourse as well as to ensuring that older people can continue to live independently in their homes and communities for as long as possible. This commitment is enshrined in the National Positive Ageing Strategy, which provides a blueprint for promoting older people’s engagement in economic, social, cultural and community life and for fostering inter-generational solidarity. Recognising the need for a whole-of-society approach to supporting positive ageing, the Strategy’s implementation is a whole-of-government endeavour. This has been advanced through a wide range of initiatives developed and delivered in partnership with the community and voluntary sector.
We recognise the challenges we will face in a range of areas in the coming years as our population ages. It is within this context that we are currently in the process of establishing an independent Commission on Care for Older People.
The Commission will examine the provision of health and social care services and supports for older persons and make recommendations to the Government for their strategic development. It will be cognisant of the national policy landscape within which they are being delivered and developed. Accordingly, there will be recognition that there are already a range of initiatives in train which promise to have a significant impact on the status quo in respect of the provision of care to the older age cohort. These include the development of the statutory home support scheme; the national roll-out of community specialist teams for older persons and for chronic disease management; the introduction of a standardised care needs assessment across the continuum of care; the regulatory reform of long-term residential care; the development of policies in the areas of palliative care and adult safeguarding; Housing Options for our Ageing Population joint policy statement and more broadly the implementation of the recommendations of the COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel and the Report of the Strategic Workforce Advisory Group on Home Carers and Nursing Home Healthcare Assistants.
Subsequently a Cross-Departmental Group will be established under the auspices of the Commission to consider whether the supports for positive ageing across the life course are fit-for-purpose and to develop a costed implementation plan for options to optimise these supports. Stakeholder engagement will be a central component of the work of the Commission. The Commission will be an independent commission, the members of which will be appointed by Minister Donnelly and I. On 14 December 2023 Minister Donnelly and I announced the appointment of Professor Alan Barrett, Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Institute, as Chairperson of the Commission. The other members of the Commission are currently being appointed.
