Kilcoyne slams HSE ‘failure’ as 307 people waiting for home care

A COUNTY councillor has branded the lack of homecare for 307 Mayo people as ‘a failure’ on the part of the HSE.

The figure was revealed to Cllr Michael Kilcoyne at a meeting of the HSE Regional Forum West.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Kilcoyne called for greater pay and more flexible working hours to be made available to allow people the ‘dignity’ of living at home.

The Independent councillor said he knew cases of people who had been in hospital for a year as there was no home care support in place to allow them to be discharged.

He branded the situation as ‘a failure of the HSE’.

“This is a basic right and it’s a fundamental part of Sláintecare, and yet I can’t understand how in County Mayo, according to these figures there are 307 additional people waiting for new or additional home support. That means some of these had to go into nursing homes, maybe still stay in hospital,” Cllr Kilcoyne said.

At present, home support services are being provided to 1,954 people in Mayo.

Cllr Kilcoyne stated: “I know ye are saying ye can’t get staff, but that’s not the fault of the person in the bed that needs home care. It’s a failure of the system somewhere. There has to be something wrong, either the hours are wrong or the pay is wrong or whatever. But there are people, if the pay is right, they’ll do many thing.”

Recruitment difficult

John Fitzmaurice, Chief Officer, Community Healthcare West, said that the HSE was finding recruiting Health Care Support Assistants ‘difficult’ despite an ongoing rolling campaign.

“Interviews for Health Care Support Assistant were held on June 8, 2023, and a panel is in place, albeit a small panel due to lack of interest,” he said.

Mr Fitzmaurice disagreed with Cllr Kilcoyne’s assertion that pay was a contributory factor to recruitment difficulties within the sector.

He added that a new tendering process was being put in place to hire healthcare assistants.

Cllr Kilcoyne suggested that HSE be allowed to employ people who can work between five and ten hours a week to address the shortage of workers.

“I believe they are out there if they are accommodated. But it’s a fundamental part of Sláintecare, and I am disappointed that the Minister [for Health Stephen Donnelly] hasn’t taken a much more firm line on this,” Cllr Kilcoyne added.