The Home Help Crisis in Donegal: Where Are the Care Staff?
So, it seems we have a serious case of “waiting list-itis” going on in Donegal East. Yes, folks, it’s like ordering a fancy meal, only to find out the chef’s gone on a sabbatical, and the whole kitchen’s locked up tighter than a nun’s purse! Imagine this: 373 people (and counting) are effectively holding a vigil for home help, whilst our beloved health service is stuck playing musical chairs—except there are no chairs, and it’s less music and more sad trombone noises.
Cllr Gary Doherty, bless his heart, likened the situation to a horror film where the central character keeps shouting “Don’t go in there!” but this time, it’s them pleading for someone to answer their need for assistance. Doherty shared a gut-wrenching account of a gentleman in dire need of home support who took a permanent vacation… well, not the holiday kind; he sadly passed away before his home help could arrive. Just when you think things couldn’t get worse, it’s like the universe decided, “Hold my pint!”
Now, can we just talk numbers for a second? 120 people waiting for help while only 138 staff are available? That’s not just a crisis; that’s a mathematical conundrum worthy of a TikTok trend: “Watch as I try and explain why 120 is more than 138!” Cllr Doherty pointed this out at the Regional Health Forum West, but I’m beginning to think he may as well have been talking to a brick wall. Or perhaps he was just announcing a local pub quiz night—an event with better chances of attendance.
The HSE boldly proclaims that they anticipate a whopping 157,062 additional hours of home support this year. But come on! How are we counting hours here? Last time, I checked, hours weren’t like free samples at Costco—grab as many as you can without putting in the work! Dermot Monaghan, the Integrated Health Area Manager of Donegal, answered the call (sort of) by mentioning a recruitment freeze, which I can only assume is similar to how I freeze my gym membership every January. It’s a classic case of ‘we’re sorry, but the only thing on the menu today is waiting.’ Nothing screams ‘care’ more than being ‘compassionate’ while watching your patients shiver in limbo!
And while we’re throwing around the term “compassionate,” shouldn’t this extend to recruiting more staff? It’s a bit like saying, “I care about the environment” while still throwing your McDonald’s wrappers out the window. When you don’t recruit, you’re singing the same tune as a one-hit wonder—performing to an audience that’s slowly dispersing, leaving only the die-hard fans (and a few confused squirrels).
Let’s wrap this up with a bit of good news—Tony Canavan, the Regional Executive Officer, has raised hollers about potential funding for 2025. Oh great! Money in the future… I mean, it’s like saying I’ll have killer abs next year because “I’m definitely starting that workout plan!” Spoiler alert: we all know how that turns out, don’t we?
So here we are, friends. If you thought the term ‘waiting list’ only applied to theme parks, think again! We’re deep in ‘The Waiting Game,’ where our community deserves better, and frankly, they should feel like they’ve got an actual fighting chance. If we don’t take steps to solve this now, the next headline might just make us cringe harder than a bad punchline at a comedy club… and believe me, I’ve been around dodgy punchlines. Cheers!
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The Health Service Executive (HSE) has come under increasing pressure to tackle the critical shortage of home help staff in the East Donegal area, a situation that is deeply impacting the lives of vulnerable patients.
A staggering 373 individuals in Donegal are currently languishing on the waiting list for either a new home support service or an expansion of their existing care package.
This urgent need encompasses 120 clients in Donegal East, 40 in Inishowen, 75 in North Donegal, and 138 in South Donegal, highlighting a systemic issue in the region’s healthcare provision.
Councillor Gary Doherty brought the grim reality of this situation to light during a meeting of the Regional Health Forum West, sharing a poignant example from his constituency in East Donegal.
“A gentleman whom I dealt with recently was on the waiting list with a number of very serious medical conditions,” Cllr Doherty conveyed with deep concern.
“He was sadly deteriorating to such an extent he eventually became reliant on oxygen 24/7. As per his own wishes, he wanted to remain in his own home, but due to his elderly wife, he desperately needed home help services.”
“While he was granted home help hours, he joined the ranks of 120 others in Donegal East who were left waiting for essential support.”
“This gentleman sadly passed before he received home help assistance,” he lamented, underscoring the dire consequences of the ongoing staffing crisis.
Cllr Doherty emphasized the pressing need for reform: “I understand there will always be certain delays, that is to be expected, but to have 120 on a waiting list against a backdrop of only 138 available staff is alarming and requires immediate attention.”
The HSE has acknowledged that home help support hours in Donegal are projected to rise significantly, with an expected increase of 157,062 hours (12.6%) compared to the previous year. In total, the anticipated hours of Home Support in Donegal for 2024 is set to reach 1,407,855 hours.
Cllr Doherty urged the HSE to reassess its strategies: “I asked the HSE why target hours and staffing numbers are not being increased to meet the actual service demands.”
In response, Dermot Monaghan, Integrated Health Area Manager of Donegal, admitted that Donegal East is grappling with severe recruitment challenges.
“At the present moment we don’t have any recruitment process underway in the area because we are living within our pay and numbers strategy,” he explained, shedding light on the constraints faced by the service.
“We still have to operate within our budget; we are currently well above our funded budget but that doesn’t mean we don’t approach each case with as much compassion as we can. We are making every effort to free up hours,” Mr Monaghan added.
Cllr Doherty remarked: “I appreciate you are doing everything you can to help. However, it raises critical questions about the pay and numbers strategy that has hindered our ability to actively recruit the essential number of home help staff needed in Donegal East.”
Tony Canavan, Regional Executive Officer, HSE West and North West confirmed that the HSE is looking forward to securing additional funding for home help hours in 2025.
Elderly Donegal man died while on home help waiting list, HSE hears was last modified: November 27th, 2024 by