Billy Kelleher
Ceist:24. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the extra provision that is being put in place for home-care packages and home helps in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30643/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 18 October 2016
Ceisteanna (24)
Freagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)
Could the Minister of State make a statement about the extra provision for home-care packages and home-help hours in 2017? In view of the supplementary budget earlier in the year and the additional €491 million allocated for health in budget 2017, we are back to where we were in terms of peak spending on health in 2007. It is important that a clear outline is given to ensure that the money provided to the HSE actually goes where it is supposed to go in terms of home-care packages and home-help hours, as identified by the executive itself in 2015.
I thank Deputy Kelleher for raising this question. To return to what Deputy Connolly said, we are not just talking about figures but people's parents, brothers and sisters. I am pleased to say that overall funding for services for older people has increased to €765 million in 2017, which is an increase of €82 million since the HSE's 2016 service plan. As Deputy Kelleher rightly pointed out, the 2016 service plan included €40 million in additional funding, €10 million of which is under the winter initiative and €30 million of which was allocated to home-help hours. This has focused on additional funding for home care in particular and is aimed at allowing people to continue to live in their own homes and at facilitating discharge of older people from acute hospitals.
Since the Government took office, it has significantly increased the funding available for home care. An additional €40 million, which included €10 million as part of the forthcoming winter initiative, already provided in 2016 represented an increase of over 13% in the total funding available and means that the number of home-care packages provided this year will increase from 15,450 to 15,800 and home-help hours from 10.4 million to 10.57 million.
The winter initiative will also provide another €1.4 million for home care this year, which will result in the provision of a further 650 packages by year's end. These will be targeted at ten specific hospitals to allow people to be discharged home quickly. During 2016, the number of home-care packages being provided will have increased by 1,000. As stated previously, we will not know the amount of home-care packages and home-help hours until we finalise the sign off of the service plan this year.
In 2017, €14.6 million of the winter initiative will be to fund home care. There will be another €3.8 million to maintain existing levels of service and €10 million for new developments. Details of the services to be provided with these funds will be set out in the coming weeks.
I thank the Minister of State for her reply. We talk about the winter initiative. The winter initiative should be over, above and beyond home-care packages and home-help hours. That should be systemic in terms of delivery of care. We already know that large numbers of people are presenting in the accident and emergency departments of our acute hospitals day in and day out, particularly during the winter period, because people do not have access to community services, out-of-hours GP services, proper home-care packages or sufficient home-help hours. With all of that, we consistently seem to be of the view that when there is a shortage in budgets, we fund the acute side and diminish the capacity of the primary care and community care services, which is why we continually have difficulties in our hospitals. I am concerned that we use the winter initiative to dolly up announcements towards the tail end of the year when there should be systemic investment in this area as part of planning for the future in terms of demographic changes, the changing population and associated challenges.
I agree with the Deputy. The winter initiative is only one part of this. If we look at the figures and the experts, the number of people over 65 will double in the next 30 years and the number of people in their 80s will quadruple. That does not just happen in winter and we need to be able to provide the resources throughout the year. This is the reason that we have increased and will increase funding by €68.4 million this year alone. It shows that we are committed to increasing on a year-on-year basis. In particular, the focus next year needs to be reducing the community waiting lists because we know that providing a limited or smaller amount of home help or home care for somebody before they fall or end up in hospital and need to be discharged with a more intensive home-care package will save us in the long run and will save that person the trauma of having gone to hospital. The focus next year must be on reducing the community waiting lists, which we have not really been able to tackle in the past few years.
I urge that a strong emphasis be put on that in the context of requesting the HSE service plan. It is stated in the budget in terms of the commitments that are to be made with regard to older people, home-care packages, home-help hours and all the ancillary supports that are required. It is important that when assessing the reply from the HSE in terms of the plan and the analysis carried out by the Department in advance of its publication, strong emphasis should be put on that to at least underpin and put us on a sound footing with regard to the delivery of community care and home care. As we all know, this is the preferred option for the vast majority of people. Otherwise, we are back in here calling for more money for the fair deal scheme and criticising the fact that we have prolonged waits on trolleys in our accident and emergency departments.
As Minister of State with responsibility for older people, my focus this year, particularly in this budget, has been on increasing the number of home-help hours and home-care packages with increased funding. Obviously, the nursing homes support scheme and maintaining that funding have been priorities but I am acutely aware that keeping people in their homes and maintaining people within the community requires an across-the-board approach. The national positive ageing strategy - of which my Department is in charge - will progress into the next stages, which I hope will involve support from all Departments, including the Departments of Finance, Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and Transport, Tourism and Sport, in respect of a range of areas that will make every environment more suitable for older people to remain within their communities, not just within their homes. As home help comes under my Department, it needs to remain a priority and we must continue to increase investment in those areas. As I said, community will be our main priority.