The number of people awaiting home help support in Donegal reached over 400 this month.
407 clients are awaiting a new home support service or an increase in their current package of care. That’s a jump from 373 in September last year.
Home Help waiting list as of 11th February 2025
Councillor Declan Meehan told the Regional Health Forum that the situation is getting worse, not better.
“It’s clear to me that the resources being allocated are simply not enough and there is an ever-increasing demand for home help services not just in Donegal but nationally,” Cllr Meehan said.
“The government and the Department of Health are not resourcing home help sufficiently. Meanwhile, the knock-on effect is families and individuals are suffering or maybe not even getting out of hospitals because those packages are not available to them.”
Tuesday’s Regional Health Forum heard that Donegal is an exceptional case when it comes to home support because private contractors are not as readily available.
Members were told that “although the resources allocated for Home Support Services across the system are substantial, they are finite; and service delivery must therefore be delivered within the funding available and remain within the Pay and Numbers Strategy.”
Seán Murphy, General Manager of Letterkenny University Hospital said that home help staffing is an ongoing challenge.
“Within the pay and numbers strategy, we are struggling significantly to meet the demands in the county in Donegal,” Mr Murphy said.
Tony Canavan, Regional Executive Officer of HSE West and North-West, added that there is a particular issue in Donegal as the service is provided directly by the HSE, whereas in other parts of the country there is greater scope to expand spending on home support using contracted services.
“That is a problem that we need to look at,” Mr Canavan said.
