Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 November 2025
80. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the efforts being made to address the issue of discharging people from acute hospitals, in particular elderly people, who need a home care package in place in order to manage at home (details supplied). [64998/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraImproving access to home support is a Government priority. The 2025 budget is the largest ever, at approximately €840 million for 24 million hours of home support. At the end of September approximately 1.3 million more hours had been delivered than in the same period in 2024. We had also exceeded the target to deliver services to 60,000 people for the first time.
The HSE Urgent and Emergency Care Plan ensures that there is safe and timely discharge to the most appropriate setting. When a person has been assessed as needing home support, this must be in place before they can return home. As of the 11th of November, there were 41 people in hospital who were medically fit to be discharged and needed home support. 28 people were waiting for a carer to be assigned, the rest were waiting on assessments or funding approval.
When allocating home support, priority is given to those in the community with acute needs and to those assessed and waiting in acute hospitals who can return home with supports. Where appropriate, transitional care funding is also available to enable people to move from the hospital to a nursing home temporarily. This might be needed if someone is waiting for a carer to become available or they are waiting for home adaptations to be completed.
