Fianna Fáil TD for South Kildare, Fiona O’Loughlin has said that home help hours in Kildare and across the country are running behind target.
New information released to Fianna Fáil shows that home support hours provided to date in 2019 are far behind what they should be and looks as though fewer than half of the 800,000 extra hours promised for 2019 will be delivered.
O’Loughlin said, “These figures are harrowing for families on waiting lists and for people with older relatives that may need hours in the future.
“Currently there are 6310 people on waiting lists across the country and 1110 on waiting lists for hours while there are even more waiting for increased hours. This may not seem like a massive shortfall, but if it continues throughout the year then there is no way that the 800,000 extra hours pledged in the 2019 HSE Service Plan can be delivered”.
“The shortfall in both the number of hours provided and the number of people in receipt of home support is entirely in keeping with the recent reports of restrictions on home help hours. At a time when the demand for services continues to grow and waiting lists have become a feature, Fine Gael has allowed the closure of home support hours to new applicants until next November.
“I was recently contacted by a constituent who was told their mothers home help was going to be cut as a direct result of understaffing and underfunding. This cannot go on any longer and the Minister must take responsibility for his Department.”
“I have been raising this matter with the Minister since my election in 2016 and the waiting lists are only continuing to increase while he says they are improving”, Concluded O’Loughlin.
-Ends-