Mattie McGrath condemns abandonment of elderly amid home-care crisis
Mattie McGrath criticised the handling of home support services in a speech on 8 Dec 2021, arguing that elderly people are being abandoned due to staff shortages. He praised carers but warned that shortages are forcing people into hospital and leaving some without visits over Christmas.
Allegation of abandonment
McGrath accused the system of abandoning older people, saying money has been spent but staff cannot be found. He warned that some people will have no visits on Christmas Day or St Stephen's Day and asked what moral compass the Government and the minister have in allowing the situation to continue.
Nationwide shortages and impact
He described shortages across the country, citing examples from Tipperary and Wexford, and said home help workers are stretched, running from "Billy to Jack" with limited time. He also saluted carers and home-help workers for their efforts while stressing that families and people who have no families are suffering.
Waiting-list figures and complaints about planning
The minister responding noted that waiting lists for home support fell from over 9,000 at the start of 2020 to approximately 5,300 at the end of September 2021, and said recruitment of additional home support workers is the central issue. McGrath said the HCC should have foreseen the problem and criticised responses that focus on throwing money at the issue without securing operators or staff.
Government response on workforce planning
The minister said demand and resourcing have both increased and highlighted efforts to recruit more people. The minister has established a Department Strategic Workforce Advisory Group to gather stakeholder views and examine recruitment, retention, training, career development and sustainable employment for home care workers.
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The very same issue is shopping crisis all over the country. You said earlier that your primary role was people's health and caring for people. People are being abandoned. Money thrown out now, yes, but they can't get people to do the work. I salute the carers and I salute the people who do the home help, but they're running around from Billy to Jack with little time and doing what they can with a limited time. People are ending up in a hospital because they can't get their home care packages. It's as bad as in Tipperary, it's in Wexford. All over the country, we have a huge shortage. Christmas Day coming now, but Christmas Day and Stephen's Day, they won't have any visit from anybody. People left to fend for themselves. What kind of a moral compass have you and the Minister for Health got and Minister Butler to do that to old people? It's no point blaming the crisis shortage in staff. The HCC should have seen this coming. We've been banging on about it here for years and now you're throwing money at it through the pandemic, but you can't get the operator. But the bottom line is people are suffering and people are getting more sick and families are struggling. Some people don't have families, so it's a terrible situation. Can I first of all say that the Minister Butler does have a moral compass? I don't think you should suggest anything to the contrary. Also, I would say that the people waiting for home support across different categories has reduced from over 9,000 at the start of 2020 to approximately 5,300 at the end of September 2021. And the issue is recruitment of additional home support workers. That is the issue and everything that can be done. And that's because the demand has increased, but also the resourcing has increased and significant additional people have come into the service to work. But what we need to do now is to obviously do everything we possibly can to recruit more people. And Minister Butler has established across the Department of Strategic Workforce Advisory Group to get the views of stakeholders, examine the workforce challenges in home support and nursing homes. And that will look at recruitment, retention, training, career development and sustainable employment of home care workers into the future. Thank you. Thank you.
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