In 2017, MS Ireland made a submission to a Department of Health consultation on home care services. You can read our submission here
This week, the Department published a report of the findings from the consultation. You can read the report here
MS Ireland are pleased to note that several of the themes and comments made in our submission are reflected or noted in the final report, including the need for greater standardisation and equity of services across the country, the need for greater flexibility in the types of services that can be provided by home care workers, the need for home care workers to receive training in managing particular conditions like MS and the need to improve integration between home care and other services, such as hospitals and primary care.
Jim Daly TD, the Minister responsible for the report, has confirmed that it is the Government’s intention to establish a statutory home care scheme. He commented “This report provides a high-quality analysis of the submissions to the consultation and will help us to ensure that, in developing the statutory home-care scheme, we address the problems associated with existing service-provision as well as building on emerging good practice. I welcome the strong engagement of service-users, their families, health and community-care professionals and stakeholder organisations in the consultation and look forward to further dialogue throughout the process of developing the new scheme.”