Fix staffing crisis or waiting lists could double, homecare providers warn 

A report published this week revealed the terrible working conditions behind the staff shortages.

Immediate fixes are needed for the homecare staffing crisis or waiting lists could double this winter, homecare providers warned on Wednesday.

Over 6,000 mainly elderly people are on national homecare waiting lists including almost 1,000 across Cork and Kerry, with a report published this week revealing the terrible working conditions behind the shortages.

Homecare jobs are unattractive, poorly paid, and under-valued with carers paid too little for the emotionally and physically demanding work they do.

There is “low morale” among the workforce coupled with burnout, the Strategic Workforce Advisory Group on homecare and nursing home staff said.

Their report also showed carers working for private companies are rarely paid for travel expenses even though their job requires them to move from house to house.

They are often not entitled to sick pay, with minimal annual leave and no contributory pension schemes.

The Group found HSE carers have better working conditions in general than people working for non-HSE companies.

Lack of solutions

Home and Community Care Ireland CEO Joseph Musgrave said they are disappointed with the lack of immediate solutions.

“I was really disappointed there are no short-term recommendations,” he said. “We need to have some short-term recommendations in order to get us through the winter.”

He said while the report is welcome, it indicates some reforms have to wait until a new statutory homecare scheme is brought in. This will be similar to how the Fair Deal funds nursing home care.

Those waiting lists are probably going to double if the Government doesn’t bring along workforce reform in tandem with the scheme.

“The report acknowledges that social welfare rules are a problem, but it says we need another review rather than let’s just say, on a limited basis for the homecare sector, do an exemption," he said.

Some 75% of carers in private and voluntary companies are part-time.

“However, if a carer works even one hour per day for five days they cannot receive jobseeker's benefit because the payment is based on the ‘three-day rule’ rather than cumulative hours worked,” he said.

Home and Community Care Ireland represents private and voluntary care providers.

Salaries

Mr Musgrave insisted low pay is linked to how tender agreements are paid from the HSE.

“There are some challenging things in the report, which we are willing to step up to the mark to, around the national living wage being the new minimum, base rate of pay which is €12.90,” he said.

“I think we need to talk to Government agencies about how to afford that.”

The report recommends new HSE tenders should require carers are paid for travel expenses.

Discussing how increases paid to companies could be guaranteed to filter down to carers, he suggested negotiations between Government, the HSE and private companies.

He suggested: “The minister then signs a sector-employment order, a bit like in childcare and makes it a statutory instrument, saying this is now the minimum rate of pay in the sector. Then we are legally obliged to pay that.”

The document, Report of the Strategic Workforce Advisory Group on Home Carers and Nursing Home Healthcare Assistants, makes 16 recommendations which minister of state for older people Mary Butler has endorsed.

The HCCI annual conference is being held on Thursday, and Mr Musgrave expects the discussion of this report to reflect growing frustrations.