Irish Examiner view: Proposed remedies will not cure carer shortage

With more than 6,000 on HSE homecare waiting lists, the laws of supply and demand tell their own story in the sector

Homecare 'has a poor reputation, is considered unattractive, poorly-remunerated, and under-valued'.

A recent report into the crisis in homecare provision in Ireland found that the industry “has a poor reputation, is considered unattractive, poorly remunerated, and under-valued". And all of those conclusions are correct.

Yet the remedies currently proposed — increasing rewards to meet the national living wage of €27,000 for a 39-hour week, and payment of transport expenses — are unlikely to be enough to obviate the backlog. 

More than 6,000 people are on HSE homecare waiting lists around the country, according to the latest available data, with almost all the hours funded and waiting for a carer to be found.

A system for workers from outside the European Economic Area has been introduced, with a quota of 1,000 employment permits which last for two years. However,  during January, the first month it was open, there were just seven applications.

Being a carer is not only a tough job, it’s an essential service. No one does it for the money, but the laws of supply and demand are telling their own story in this sector.