Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 June 2019
135. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health if he will report on the meeting between the Minister of State with special responsibility for mental health and older people and HSE CHO managers on the delivery of home help hours; if the €18.3 million home support hours committed to in the service plan will be delivered in 2019; the cost of compliance with a decision (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25864/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraHome supports enable older people to remain in their own homes and communities, as well as facilitating timely discharge from hospital. The Government has made improved access to home support services a priority. This is reflected in the ongoing additional investment made in these services in recent years with the budget growing from €306 million in 2015 to almost €446 million in 2019. That is about a 45% increase in the annual budget for home support.In 2018, the total budget for the service was €416.8 million, providing over 17.5 million hours. In 2019 almost €30 million has been added to the home support budget. This year the HSE intends to provide over 18.2 million home support hours, including intensive home care packages, to over 53,000 people. When one looks at the year-on-year targets, this means that this year’s National Service Plan aims to deliver about 800,000 more hours than the 2018 target. I expect the HSE to deliver on this service plan commitment.The allocation of funding for home supports, though significant, is finite and services must be delivered within the funding available. The Home Support Service is not demand led and is therefore operated in line with agreed budgetary limits and targets as set out in the HSE National Service Plan.To achieve compliance with its funding allocation, the HSE must ensure that the value of the total number of hours provided does not exceed the budget. This means that the HSE has to manage its service delivery over the course of the year to align with the total funding available. It also has a responsibility to ensure that activity is planned so as to anticipate critical demand pressures, most particularly emergency pressures in the initial and latter parts of the year.
As the Deputy is aware, I am meeting senior HSE representatives this week to further discuss the delivery of home support in the context of the National Service Plan and I am happy to keep colleagues updated on the issue.
The cost of compliance with the decision referred to by the Deputy is a service matter and I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
