The State is playing “whack a mole” in terms of tackling homecare waiting lists, and there is a worsening rural/urban divide, the representative group for private companies in the sector has said.
On Wednesday, Home and Community Care Ireland (HCCI), the organisation that represents private homecare companies, launched its pre-budget submission which called for a designated plan to tackle waiting lists for home support.
According to the HCCI, between January 2023 and March 2024, the waiting list for homecare reduced by 10 per cent.
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Joseph Musgrave, chief executive of HCCI, said this reduction was welcome, but that “pretty much all of that decrease was in Dublin only”.
“Over those 15 months, in north Dublin, the waiting list fell by 90 per cent. But in Galway/Mayo, it went up by 76 per cent, or 400 people,” he said.
“Cork/Kerry is kind of the problem child here, with the highest waiting list at around 1,300 as of March. All of Dublin is under 600.”
He welcomed the expansion of homecare by 1.3 million hours last year, but added that most of this was allocated to Dublin and commuter areas.
In total, there are more than 5,000 people waiting for homecare hours as of March.
“I know of a person in the Wicklow mountains who was on a waiting list for nine months before they had to go to nursing home. We need a bespoke approach to homecare waiting lists to ensure rural areas don’t remain particularly affected. Currently, we’re playing whack-a-mole with areas,” he said.
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The body’s pre-budget submission has called for €211 million to prioritise homecare workers and older people, as well as the implementation of the Statutory Home Support Scheme.
According to the HCCI, homecare workers need a new deal that provides guaranteed continuity of income; an index-linked living wage as a minimum; an increased carers’ allowance working limit and amendments to the eligibility criteria for State benefits to ensure they do not disincentivise employment.
The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.
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