Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 November 2020
696. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Health the criteria under which funding was awarded via the recent announcement of funding for hospices; the reason some hospice organisations providing homecare supports were excluded; if additional funding will be made available to those excluded given that they have the same funding pressures in 2020 as the others; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36182/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn 8 November 2020, I announced the provision of €10 million in once-off funding in 2020 to support the voluntary palliative care sector to maintain critical and ongoing care services for adults and children in the context of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Voluntary organisations in the palliative care sector, funded by the HSE under a Section 38 or Section 39 Service Level Arrangement, were deemed to be eligible for inclusion in the fund.
On the basis of these criteria:
- 85% of the funding is being allocated to the six voluntary hospices which provide around 90% of the country's adult inpatient hospice beds and deliver palliative homecare and other community supports;
- 7.5% of the funding is being allocated to LauraLynn children's hospice which provides respite, end of life care and other services for children with life limiting conditions and their families;
- 4% of the funding is being divided equally between the Irish Hospice Foundation, the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care, the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation and the Irish Cancer Society Night Nursing Service;
- The remaining 3.5% of the funding is being divided equally between four voluntary palliative care homecare providers in the south east of the country, all of which have a Service Level Arrangement with the HSE.
