The policy of the Government is to maintain older people in dignity and independence at home, in accordance with their wishes. To this end, home care grant schemes have been piloted in a number of areas as an alternative to long-term residential care to assist older people living at home in their communities. Older people who are being discharged from the acute hospital system and those living in the community are being targeted under these schemes. Funding of €2 million has been allocated to the Health Service Executive for the scheme in 2005. This is in keeping with a key recommendation of the review of the nursing home subvention scheme, namely that the health services develop a home-based subvention system for older people as an alternative to long-term care.
An interdepartmental group chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and comprising senior officials from the Departments of Finance, Health and Children and Social and Family Affairs has been established to consider the future financing of long-term care. The objective of this group is to identify the policy options for a financially sustainable system of long-term care, taking account of the Mercer report, the views of the consultation that was undertaken on that report and the review of the nursing home subvention scheme by Professor Eamon O'Shea. This group is due to report to the Tánaiste and Minister for Social and Family Affairs this summer.
In addition, the total increase in expenditure on the home help service across all health board areas from 2000 to 2004 was approximately 94%. Additional funding of €5 million was allocated in 2005 to the home help service to support older people living in the community, bringing funding for the service in 2005 to over €131 million.
I also wish to advise the Deputy that €70 million has been made available to the HSE in 2005 for the ten point plan to relieve ongoing pressure on acute hospital beds and accident and emergency services. Under the plan, the home care package scheme is to be expanded to support 500 additional older people who have been discharged from the acute hospital sector to their own homes.
The issues of waiting lists for the home care grant and home help hours relate to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, the Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to have this matter investigated and to reply directly to the Deputy.
