The representative group for private homecare firms, Home and Community Care Ireland (HCCI), has expressed concerns about the on-going disparity in the management of homecare waiting lists between urban and rural areas. The group, which represents the interests of private homecare businesses, recently launched a pre-budget proposal, requesting a specific plan to address the waiting lists for home support.
The HCCI noted a 10 per cent drop in the homecare waiting list between January 2023 and March 2024. However, Joseph Musgrave, the Chief Executive Officer of HCCI, pointed out that this drop was primarily in Dublin, with little impact in other regions.
From his statement, the waiting list decreased by 90 per cent in certain parts of Dublin over 15 months. Contrastingly, in regions like Galway/Mayo, the waiting list surged by 76 per cent, equivalent to about 400 people. The situation in Cork/Kerry is even more troubling, as it has the longest waiting list approximating to 1,300 individuals as of March, while in all of Dublin, it was under 600.
Last year, the duration of homecare services extended by about 1.3 million hours. However, the CEO mentioned, these hours were predominantly assigned to Dublin and neighbouring areas. To illustrate the rural-urban divide in the context of homecare service availability, he shared a distressing anecdote about a person from the Wicklow mountains who had to resort to a nursing home after a nine-month wait for homecare.
He emphasised the necessity for a tailored approach towards managing homecare waiting lists to ensure rural areas aren’t disproportionately affected. As of March, over 5,000 individuals are on the waiting list for homecare services.
In their pre-budget proposal, HCCI called for an additional funding of €211 million. This funding is intended to help prioritise homecare workers and older adults, and implement the Statutory Home Support Scheme. The body believes that a fair deal for homecare workers should include a guaranteed continuous income, a minimum living wage that is linked to the index, and an increased carers’ allowance working limit, among other things. Also, they suggest modifying the eligibility criteria for state benefits to encourage rather than discourage employment.
A response from the Department of Health to these issues is awaited. For in-depth political discussions and analysis, tune into our Inside Politics podcast.