Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 March 2026
16. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Health the number of persons nationally, broken down per HSE region, who are awaiting home support hours; the average waiting time involved; the efforts the HSE are making in recruiting home support workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16273/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraImproving access to home support is a priority for this Government. Home support has increased every year since 2020, from 17.8 million hours to a target of 26.7 million in 2026.
Preliminary data from the HSE indicates that at the end of January, there were 5,310 people on the home support waiting list. Of these, 1,897 people were waiting on a new service and 3,413 people were waiting on additional hours. This is a substantial reduction since the start of 2020, when over 9,000 people were waiting. Priority is given to those in the community with acute needs and those assessed and in hospital who can return home with supports.
The Deputy has requested the waiting list by region, and I will circulate this information.
There is currently no system to report upon average waiting times. However, I requested in January that the HSE collate this information manually every quarter until the new ICT system is in place.
257 posts for HSE home support staff have been allocated for 2026. Recruitment is undertaken at local level and rolling campaigns are underway.
In addition, the HSE Home Support Authorisation Scheme is currently open. This allows new providers to apply to become approved providers, or existing providers to increase their footprint.
