Mattie McGrath urges better support for carers in HSE
Mattie McGrath criticised the state of home care and urged meaningful support for formal and family carers. He said carers are 'the last fetches of humanity' left in the HSE and called for respect, proper resources and government action.
Message to government
McGrath told colleagues it is time for the government to act, arguing carers need proper, meaningful support rather than being left without resources.
Praise for carers and regional group
He complimented the regional group bringing the issue forward and praised home-care workers for travelling to clients and giving time "so lovingly, dedicatedly". He emphasised carers are human beings, not just clients.
System failings and lost supports
McGrath warned that many supports, including community welfare, have been stripped away from the public health services, leaving carers as "the last fetches of humanity" in the HSE. He highlighted the role carers play in keeping people out of hospital.
Family and child carers
He noted that families often provide care and raised concern about child carers who look after grandparents or parents, calling the situation shocking and saying blind eyes are sometimes turned to laws on the matter.
Reference to colleagues
McGrath reiterated a point made by Deputy Healy Ray in support of showing respect and backing for people who travel to care for others, underscoring the parliamentary call for action.
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I too want to compliment the regional group bringing forward this, it's an issue we've all been pressing for ages and ages, and listen, the carers and indeed the people who go in during the home health and the caring, they're the last fetches of humanity that's left in the HSE and the public health services in this country, because everything else has been stripped away, all the different supports that they had, even community welfare, everything, gone, so, and these people need to be respected, as Deputy Healy Ray said, that get into their cars and travel around, and give the time so lovingly, dedicatedly, and so interested in their clients, and I don't want to mean clients, their people, human beings, and keeping them out of hospital, and in many cases families are doing this as well, family carers, and indeed we have a huge instance of child carers, children giving care to grandparents or parents, and it's a shocking situation, because it's against the law, but blind eyes turn to that, so we need proper support, meaningful support, for those people who give this care, and it's time that the government did act on this. Thank you very much. Thank you.
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