Possible cut to home help hours

Health Minister Mary Harney has been requested to remove the threat of major cuts in home help hours hanging over 4,500 carers in Clare.

Deputy Pat Breen has called on Minister Harney to comment on media reports that carers could be “scapegoated” under the latest Health Service Executive (HSE) plan to achieve major cost savings.
“According to reports, home help hours which a carer may be eligible for may be reduced to seven and half hours per week and there is also the threat hanging over the service that it could be reduced to an office hour service, operating Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. 
“The role of carers is very much undervalued. Family carers contribute over €2.5 billion to the State coffers each year and according to the 2006 census, there are 4,507 carers here in Clare, working a total of 29,263 hours per week.”
“Any attempts to make further cuts in the Home Help Service will put carers and their families under enormous strain. Many carers at the moment are only receiving five hours and others who urgently require assistance are being told that they will have to wait until somebody dies before they will be facilitated. The reality is that the Home Help Service is already grossly under funded,” he warned.
Without the intervention of the Home Care Packages Scheme, which provides supports to over 13,000 people nationwide, a Mid-West HSE spokeswoman pointed out, many older people would spend longer in acute hospitals or would be admitted to residential care earlier than might be necessary.
She said that national guidelines for the standardised implementation of the HCP Scheme and for the allocation of home help hours to clients available to staff are critical to ensure the large numbers of people benefiting from these supports are being allocated services in a consistent way. 
Given the large numbers benefiting from these supports, it is critical to assist in allocating services in a consistent way that incorporates sufficient flexibility to allow for the particular needs and dependencies of the individual client.
She pointed out the HSE had established a national task group to progress this and a range of other priority issues relating to the Home Help Service and the Home Care Packages Scheme.
“The work being undertaken by the group will help to ensure that clients can apply, be considered for and access community-based services and supports, in a standard way across the HSE while taking account of the available resources.
“The guidelines will also assist staff in ensuring that people with similar assessed needs will have them addressed, within the context of the resources available to the HSE for these services, in a consistent way regardless of the location of the client.
“As the various guidelines are in draft at this time it is not possible to provide specific details pending senior management consideration of same,” she said.
There are 1,321 Clare people receiving carer’s allowance, which is given to persons who are providing full time care and attention to elderly people or to people with disabilities and whose income falls below certain limits.
The carer’s benefit scheme is a weekly income support payment to support people who must leave the workforce temporarily to care for someone who is in need of full-time care and attention. There are currently 44 Clare people in receipt of this benefit.