Home help hours in southwest reduced over public holidays

Some older people in the southwest of the country have lost home support hours on public and bank holidays, following a new operating procedure by the Health Service Executive.

The HSE’s free home support service seeks to help older people continue to live in their own home for as long as possible. It supports people with everyday tasks, such as getting in and out of bed, bathing and dressing.

A spokeswoman for the HSE South West, which covers Cork and Kerry, said in July the region finalised a new standard operating procedure to ensure the “appropriate allocation of hours on bank holidays ... This allocation of service, based on a clinical assessment, allows us to maximise the valuable home support hours provided both by HSE home support staff and the private providers who provide a service on our behalf.”

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Under the procedure, clients who receive home support hours seven days a week will receive bank holiday home support services. However, individuals who receive less than that will no longer receive support on bank holidays.

“HSE South West is aware of the vital importance of the home support service in supporting people to continue to live safely at home. For that reason, everyone using home support services is kept under constant review so that the level of service they receive can reflect their changing needs. Anyone who feels that they, or their loved one, needs to be reassessed can contact their local public health nurse or home support office,” said the spokeswoman.

Dovida, a HSE-approved private provider of home support hours, wrote to affected families at the beginning of October to inform them of “an important change” made by the HSE for home support arrangements on bank holidays and public holidays.

“The procedure confirms bank and public holiday cover is to be provided to clients in receipt of a seven-day service and/or where clinical assessment identifies a requirement,” the letter noted.

“On review of your schedule of care ... your HSE-funded home support service will no longer be delivered on bank or public holidays.”

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One woman who lives in France said her 95-year-old mother in Co Cork has received home support hours for the past 18 months.

“She has care five days a week. I’ve made other arrangements for the weekend. I visit regularly. She does her best, but she needs the morning and evening visits [as I do] to make sure all is well,” said the daughter.

“It’s such a high-risk decision to leave the elderly on their own for what will amount to three full days, as the majority of bank holidays in Ireland are on a Monday. We’re looking at just 19½ care hours to the end of 2027. But those hours are vital.”