Sinn Féin will this evening use its Private Members’ time in
the Dáil to debate Deputy Louise O’Reilly’s bill, which aims to challenge the
government and the HSE’s targeting of home help hours to cut or freeze.
Care delivered in the home is the preferred form of care for most people and
their families. The home help service is one of the best value for money
services in the health service, and any health economist will attest to its
value for money.
This is immediately evident upon comparison with hospital or
nursing home care. The average weekly cost for home support services is
approximately €165, whereas the weekly cost of a hospital bed is €5,992 and the
weekly cost of a nursing home bed is €1,048.
There are currently over 6,000 older people on waiting lists for home help
hours and thousands more in receipt of the service. Any cuts or freezes to the
service will have a devastating impact on older people and their families.
Indeed, when home care is lacking it results in a variety of negative
consequences that can affect the health and well-being of older people.
Without access to home care supports many older people have to pay for private
care, rely on loved ones to provide unpaid care, or are forced to move to
residential care settings which is often not their first choice thus
undermining their human right to live with dignity and independence.
Sinn Féin will not allow this to go unchallenged and that is why we have put
down this Private Members Bill to challenge these decisions by the government
and protect the home help service. Mayo was singled out for savage cuts to home
help hours under the last Fianna Fáil government.
We understand the value of the home help service and our message to the
government is to find cost savings elsewhere and stop attacking our older
people and the services they need and deserve.
