40,000 home help hours cut in Mayo

40,000 home help hours cut in Mayo


Rowan Gallagher

HOME help carer users will have a year of respite after a string of cuts in the last four years according to the HSE Service Plan 2011 published last week.
The most vulnerable people in Mayo has been slashed in the last four years in order to meet government targets and to save money but the HSE confirmed that no further reductions in manpower hours would be enacted after last week publishing the 2011 service plan.
Home help hours in Mayo have been reduced by 40,000 hours in the past three years, according to new figures released by the HSE.
In 2007 and 2008, Mayo people were receiving 460,000 hours of home help but the figure was reduced by 10,000 hours in 2009. However, the most drastic reduction has been in the last twelve months when another 30,000 hours was taken away, leaving just 420,000 hours of home help available to Mayo people.
“This is an example of how front line services are being hit by the cut backs to the health service. In the majority of cases, home help is provided to some of the most vulnerable people in our society, elderly people and those who are confined to their homes. Home help isn’t just about someone calling in to a house and carrying out some practical duties.
“The person doing the home help provides a social contact for the elderly person that is absolutely vital. But the cut back in the hours has meant that this contact is reduced to the minimum, or in some cases, cut altogether” said Fine Gael TD John O’Mahony.  “It’s a terrible way to treat people and this is an awful indictment of a Government of this country that assured us it would care for its elderly. But this is the opposite to caring, in fact it’s a betrayal of people and it’s something  they should be deeply ashamed of,” he said.
The HSE issued a response to The Mayo News stating that although the hours had been cut they are still bringing new people into the scheme.
“It was necessary due to the significant budget curtailment to review all services being delivered in Mayo, including the Home Help Service. 
The review methodology is the complete re-assessment of all individual cases.  This re-assessment process is based on clear criteria and is applied evenly throughout the county.
“However, we are continuing to approve new clients and in fact the number of new recipients has increased to 500 new cases approved this year as against 487 for the same period last year.  We are also continuing to increase services to existing clients where warranted within the parameters of the new criteria. 
The Home Help Service is now being incorporated into a more concentrated delivery methodology in relation to Home Care Packages.  We are now carrying out nationally prescribed assessment on all clients which may involve the Home Help service providing part of the service or other services being provided as part of a complete home care package.  The effect of this new scheme will be more noticeable from the New Year.”