Patricia Ryan
Ceist:252. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health his plans to move away from congregated settings in the care of older people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23641/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 11 May 2022
Ceisteanna (252)
Freagraí scríofa
Ireland’s demographics are changing rapidly. Welcome improvements in health outcomes and extended life expectancy have changed our expectations for how older people should live within their communities.
For the most part, older people clearly indicate their preference to live in their own homes and communities, for as long as possible. The Programme for Government 2020 commits to creating an Age Friendly Ireland, while Sláintecare aims to provide the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
The provision of enhanced integrated health services in the community, with a focus on prevention and early intervention of chronic disease conditions, aims to support older people to live well at home and to reduce the likelihood of hospital admission and is a key priority for me.
Through the HSE’s National Service Plan for 2022 I have secured from government an overall budget for home support for older people of approximately €670 million. In addition, €195 million has been secured to enable the continued delivery of the Enhanced Community Care Programme across all Community Healthcare Organisations.
My Department and the HSE – partnered by Age Friendly Ireland and ALONE – also provide complementary “support coordination” models to link older people with services such as befriending and signposting to local community groups. As highlighted by the Health and Housing joint policy statement, Housing Options for Our Ageing Population, these initiatives play an important role in connecting older people with their communities, reducing the poor outcomes associated with social isolation and helping them to access services that they need quickly and easily.
The Programme for Government agreed in 2020 commits the government to ‘Introduce a statutory scheme to support people to live in their own homes, which will provide equitable access to high-quality, regulated home care, and I am keen to introduce this scheme as soon as possible.
Consequently, work is ongoing within my department to progress the development of the new statutory scheme for the financing and regulation of home-support services. Taking place within the broader context of the Sláintecare reforms, this work encompasses the development of the regulatory framework for the new scheme; the examination of the options for the financing model for the scheme; and the development of a reformed model of service-delivery
Access to day centres can make a very important contribution and provide invaluable support, advice and social interaction for older people, who may, for any number of reasons be experiencing isolation and loneliness. They play a key role in enabling older people to live independently in their own communities.
It remains my priority to ensure that day centres reopen as quickly and as safely as possible, following their necessary closure in 2020 in response to COVID-19. The process for reopening day centres commenced in 2021 and the HSE continues to actively work on their reopening for older people as a priority in line with current public health guidance. Currently 264 centres (80%) for older people have reopened. It is planned that a further 14 will open this month.
Although the direction for Government policy is to support individuals to remain in their homes, long-term residential care will continue to be necessary for some older people in order to meet their health care needs. The Nursing Homes Support Scheme, also known as the NHSS or ‘Fair Deal’, is the State’s means-based system of financial support for people who are not in a position to pay privately for their long-term residential care. Its aim is to ensure that when residential care is necessary, it is accessible, affordable and regulated to provide a high quality of professional care.