Over 300 Donegal Patients Await Home Support Amid Staffing Shortage

In Donegal, over 300 patients are facing significant delays in receiving home support services. A total of 334 individuals are currently on waiting lists, while 42 healthcare assistant positions remain vacant. This situation highlights a pressing issue within the healthcare system in the region, where demand for home support services is rising.

Donegal holds the second-highest waiting list for home support in the HSE West region, trailing only Galway and Roscommon, which report the highest figures with 391 clients awaiting assistance. At a meeting of the Regional Health Forum, Independent Councillor Declan Meehan referred to the situation as a “postcode penalty” for local patients, emphasizing the disparity in service accessibility.

While there has been an 18% reduction in the number of people on waiting lists from February to August 2023, Councillor Meehan pointed out that this drop offers little reassurance to those still waiting. “That won’t provide much comfort to those 334 people still waiting on either a new package or increased hours on an existing package,” he stated.

In August alone, the Donegal Home Support Service provided 129,000 hours of care to 2,266 users. Of this total, a significant 85.8% was delivered by HSE healthcare assistants, with the remaining 14.2% coming from private providers. The ongoing staffing shortage has made it increasingly challenging to meet the growing need for home support.

Councillor Ciaran Brogan raised concerns during the meeting regarding the hurdles in recruitment that contribute to these delays. He acknowledged that hospital management is acutely aware of the difficulties many patients face in accessing home support, which often leads to delayed discharges from hospitals. “It’s causing problems for people who want to get home,” he noted, while also recognizing the efforts of the home support team.

The Regional Health Forum West was informed that the demand for home support in Donegal is not only rising but is also becoming more complex. A growing number of individuals require assistance from two healthcare assistants, further straining the already limited resources.

According to Amanda Doyle, Head of Service for Primary Care at CHO1, the entry of new private providers has presented challenges for the HSE. Nonetheless, she affirmed the commitment to increasing capacity through both direct provisions and by bringing in additional private providers. “The uptake hasn’t been what we wanted to yield to provide the capacity required for the demand,” she remarked.

Doyle also highlighted that recruitment campaigns are actively ongoing, with increased funding allocated to bolster home support services. “It remains a priority for all of us because it touches every community,” she concluded, underscoring the importance of addressing the needs of patients in Donegal.

The ongoing situation reflects broader issues within the healthcare system in Ireland, where staffing shortages and increased demand for services are challenging the ability to deliver timely care to those in need. As local officials continue to advocate for improvements, the focus remains on finding effective solutions to ensure that all patients receive the support they require in a timely manner.