SHOCKING: 116 Tipperary people are 'stuck' on the waiting list for home care support

A total of 116 people in north Tipperary and east Limerick are "stuck" on a waiting list for home support, according to Labour Party councillor Fiona Bonfield.

“Ireland’s care system just isn’t working under Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil,” said the Newport-based councillor.

“How we care for older people should be a marker of a prosperous society. Home support, delivered by home carers improves outcomes for older people by keeping people well and safe at home for longer, and is essential for freeing up acute hospital beds,” she said.

Cllr Bonfield said that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael seemed committed to eroding, rather than expanding, Ireland’s care system, pointing out that last July, they had cut home support by 1.9 million hours.

“This is despite the fact that 116 people in north Tipperary and east Limerick are waiting for home help support, with 6,020 people waiting nationally,” she said.

Cllr Bonfield described the decision as “regressive”.

“We already can’t support and care for the people who need it most, and we know that the demand for home help support is ever increasing.,” said Cllr Bonfield.

“Government can’t just continue to put its head in the sand. We need to prepare for an ageing population by investing in care, and specifically in care workers. Fully funding home help hours is also essential for tackling the crisis in our hospitals,” she said.

There are over 18,000 home carers, but only 5,300 of these are directly employed by the HSE meaning the majority of carers are working in the private sector where wages, terms and conditions are much worse, she said.

Cllr Bonfield maintained that “Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil had created an unfair, two-tier approach to care workers meaning that many people in Tipperary were carrying out the same work, for the same hours, but were paid less if they were employed by the private sector rather than the HSE directly.

“It’s wrong. We need to treat our carers fairly and continue to expand our care capacity for the future,” she said.

Cllr Bonfield said that people from Tipperary who worked hard their whole life deserved proper care as they aged.

"If we are to do this, we need to invest in our care workers, improve terms and conditions in the sector and commit to recognising the value of care work in our constitution through a referendum in 2024," she said.