Carer shortage could 'paralyse' health system
Private homecare providers say they need to recruit up to 3,000 extra staff to fill the gap.
A growing shortage of carers could “paralyse” the health system and the Government must urgently take practical steps to fix the recruitment crisis, care bodies have warned.
There are almost 5,000 people waiting for a homecare package because there are so few carers available.
Private homecare providers say they need to recruit up to 3,000 extra staff to fill the gap.
Money will not solve this problem according to Joseph Musgrave, CEO of Home and Community Care Ireland (HCCI), who called for a cross-departmental plan.
“We need a practical action plan to deal with the problem right now, if we don’t the home care system is going to become paralysed and they won’t be able to take on anymore work,” Mr Musgrave said.
He said providers in Galway already cannot take new clients, and he is seeing this “creeping up” in Cork and Dublin.
HCCI would like the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection to relax income and working hours limits for part-time homecare workers in receipt of social welfare benefits.
They ask that the HSE and Department of Health reintroduce priority PCR testing for healthcare workers.
Mr Musgrave said some providers have 7% absentee rates as a result of Covid-19, and said: “if it reaches 10%, providers are likely to have to cease service for some clients.”
He said garda vetting can take between 12 days and two months, and he called on the gardaí to expedite this.
Since June, nursing homes and hospitals can hire non-EU staff on a new employment visa. The HCCI would like to see a pilot programme evaluate having a similar visa for carers.
They also want the HSE to suspend the requirement for a QQI Level 5 qualification in favour of a “robust induction programme” as at the start of the pandemic.
There are now 4,825 people waiting for a home support carer, Anne O’Connor HSE chief operations officer told a briefing this week.
“That is a cause of concern for us,” Ms O'Connor said.
Delivery of care packages delayed by funding plummeted from 7,800 in January 2020 to just 310 when pandemic emergency funding kicked in, even as numbers waiting on a carer grew.
The HSE in Cork/Kerry previously said they are 21% down on carer staff, and Ms O’Connor said this is reflected elsewhere.
Salaries are typically €12.70 an hour, but in some areas carers must provide their own transport and cover their fuel costs, it is understood.
