Home Care Coalition, which IHF is a member of, is calling for €1.05bn funding to the Home Support Service in Budget 2024 to provide quality care to older people and people with disabilities, and to enable additional recruitment and retention of home care workers.
The Coalition is also asking that the Budget for home support must account for both the increasing demand for care, and the need to provide better pay and conditions for workers.
Our report Dying Well at Home identified systemic gaps in the provision of end-of-life care in Ireland which can lead to consistent barriers and difficulties for both the individual and those who care for them at home and also for the professionals providing care.
Paula O’Reilly, CEO of Irish Hospice Foundation said:
The Dying Well at Home report identifies the gaps in services that need to be filled if everyone in Ireland is to have the opportunity to be supported to die in the right place, at the right time with the right care. The difficulties facing the home support service sector and the need for investment are very clearly outlined in the Home Care Coalition’s Pre-Budget Submission.”
The Home Care Coalition, which is made up of 23 leading charities, not-for-profits and campaigners, gathered outside the Department of Health on 11 September to call for additional hours of support in line with the health and social care needs of the growing population of people with disabilities and older people, including older people with age-related disabilities.
The Coalition has also asked that Government provide a clear commitment to an increase in both the number of hours of support being provided, and increased funding for the service. As the unit cost per hour of home care is increasing, an increase in funding in Budget 2024 may not represent an increase in hours provided but simply maintenance of the current scheme.
Read the full Home Care Coalition Pre-Budget Submission 2024.
