Home-help hours halved during pandemic

Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North-West Michael Moynihan will chair the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters. Picture: Dan Linehan

Latest figures from the HSE show the impact of the pandemic on the delivery of disability services, with the number of personal assistance hours and home support hours almost halved.

The HSE's Performance Profile for the period April to June also illustrates the sharp fall in the percentage of people getting quicker access to services such as speech and language therapy and occupational therapy.

According to the report, 182,303 PA hours were delivered – to the end of March, before the full effect of the pandemic was felt – against expected activity of 417,502.

It said 401,621 Home Support Hours were delivered against expected activity of 770,005.

When it came to assessments completed within timelines, just 9.1% had been in the year-to-date as per the reporting period, versus a target of 100%.

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In the same period, there was a 26% fall in the number of requests for assessment of need received for children, although it has recently been highlighted that more than 6,000 children have had their assessment of needs delayed.

The report also shows dips in the percentage of people receiving speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and psychology within 52 weeks in the reporting period, compared to the corresponding period in 2018/19.

Meanwhile, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters will hear from organisation representatives today, including Special Olympics Ireland, after it received more than 180 submissions in the two-week window it allowed for people around the country to contact it regarding their lived experience of disability in Ireland.

The committee, chaired by Fianna Fáil TD Michael Moynihan, will use the submissions to help set out the programme of work it will then undertake from the new year.

The submissions relate to problems with services or access to services, early assessment for children, the impact of Covid-19, funding, problems faced by carers, the education sector, and a range of specific local issues.

The committee has already met on a number of occasions, including hearing from Prof Gerard Quinn, UN special rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities.