Carol Nolan calls home health a 'national scandal' over hours
Carol Nolan raised concerns about shortages in home health hours, saying elderly people and those with disabilities are being left without adequate care. She called the situation a 'national scandal' and said it needs to be sorted out.
Home health issue raised
Carol Nolan said elderly people who pay taxes all their lives and people with disability are being left without adequate home health hours. She said she made many representations for people across Leish and Offaly over the summer months and warned that when home health is sick there is no replacement.
Responsibility for care decisions
A responding speaker told the Dáil that no politician has any role in deciding who gets home health or how many hours they get, adding that those decisions are for clinicians and managers.
HSE service plan for 2020
The responding speaker said the HSE will publish its service plan for 2020 this afternoon, approved this morning. The plan includes a €17 billion budget - the highest ever - and for the first time allocates over €1 billion for mental health and over €2 billion for disability.
Planned resources and measures
The service plan was said to provide for 3,000 extra staff to be hired next year, extra beds, additional funding for voluntary hospices, 40,000 extra personal assistant hours and one million extra home help hours.
Calls for accountability
Carol Nolan insisted the issue needs to be resolved and indicated there should be questions for the Minister of Health and the HSE about the shortages and service failures.
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I'd just like to raise the home health issue. It is a scandal that there's elderly people who pay taxes all their lives being left without adequate home health hours and also people with disability. I too have made many representations for people across Leish and Offaly over the summer months. They're still left. If the home health is sick, they have no replacement. This needs to be sorted out because it is a national scandal. There are really questions from the Minister of Health and of the HSE, but these should be your wish. Our deputy. I just want to thank the deputies for raising the important issue of home health. As they will know, no politician has any role in deciding who gets home health or how many hours they get. Those are decisions for clinicians and managers. What I can say is that this afternoon, the HSE will publish its service plan for 2020, which is approved by Cam at this morning. It's a budget of €17 billion, the highest ever. with for the first time over a billion euros for mental health, for the first time over two billion euros for disability. It will provide for 3,000 extra staff to be hired next year, extra beds, additional funding for voluntary hospices, 40,000 extra personal assistant hours and one million extra home help hours. Thanks, Stacey.
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