There are 300 people in Galway alone who are currently waiting for homecare support amid a massive backlog of applications.
That’s according to Galway-Roscommon TD Eugene Murphy who said the government are not taking the shortage of homecare packages seriously.
Deputy Murphy said the the health system should try to keep people in their homes for as long as possible, both from a financial perspective and for the sake of the patient.
“It benefits the individual and is a fraction of the costs incurred in a nursing home or a prolonged stay in hospital.”
The Fianna Fáil TD added that since being introduced in 2006 homecare packages have been a massive success giving people “independence and respect” while allowing “family members or carers a break to carry out other tasks in their lives.”
Eugene Murphy accused the government of completely failing to support homecare, saying they have “fundamentally mismanaged this programme and have now effectively frozen out any new applications until the later part of this year.”
“It is time to look after ordinary people and let common sense prevail. The government should allow new entrants to the scheme and ensure those in need of home care packages receive them.”
