This is the pre-budget submission of the Homecare Coalition, a group of 25 charities, not-for-profit organisations and campaigners who work with older people, people with disabilities, and people with long-term illnesses as well as organisations working directly with carers and groups working in the primary care sector. This submission comes ahead of the 2024 General Election and calls for:
1) Total funding of €957 million due to increased demand for home support.
2) Imediate action to address the lack of staffing in home care and disability sctors, at the cost of an additional €95.7 million.
The Homecare Coalition has based this funding on statistical evidence of an increased need in Home Support services. For example, 5,671 people on the waiting list for home support due to lack of staffing in as of 2024, 110,000 additional home support hours needed by the end of 2026, and an overall rise in the number of people with a long-lasting condition or disability, amounting to 1,109,557 people or 22% of the population.
