People waiting 'in excess of nine months' for homecare in Cork and Kerry

The challenge is particularly acute in rural areas where carers may have long distances to travel between clients.

The crisis continues despite improvements in working conditions and pay for home support workers and greater access to work permits for foreign staff. File picture: Pexels

There are 5,671 people waiting for homecare, including 1,348 in Cork and Kerry alone, due to an ongoing crisis in carer numbers, new HSE data shows.

Some people in Cork and Kerry have waited “in excess of nine months” to begin receiving help or for an extension to existing packages, the HSE admitted.