I want to raise issues affecting St. Joseph's dementia care home in Shankill, which is in the midst of a significant funding crisis. St. Joseph's care home is the only care home in the State that cares solely for people living with dementia and it is now, regrettably, threatened with closure due to gross underfunding by the State. Last month when I raised the issue with the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, in the Dáil, he gave me an assurance that funding would be provided to ensure St. Joseph's is able to keep the doors open and stated categorically, "The doors will not close". However, things have reached crisis point and in recent days the management in St. Joseph's has taken the unfortunate decision to inform families and staff it is to stop taking residential admissions with immediate effect. This is a completely unacceptable situation.

There are currently 60 people living in St. Joseph's and up to 120 people use the day care service on a weekly basis. I welcome the fact funding has been provided for the day care aspect of St. Joseph's. However, we cannot underestimate the massive difference a service model like that provided in St. Joseph's offers patients suffering from dementia. It provides an excellent level of care and massive comfort to the families and loved ones of those suffering from dementia. The situation has been caused by gross underfunding of St. Joseph's and it is causing serious anxiety, stress and uncertainty for service users, as well as their families and the excellent staff in the facility.

There are currently 55,000 people in Ireland living with dementia and that number is expected to double over the next 20 years. We need increased funding for dementia services and we need to see the development of more services specifically for dementia care, not less. I call on the Minister, Deputy Harris, to honour the commitment he gave the House to immediately intervene and to ensure staff at St. Joseph's can continue to do the excellent work they do, ensure the service is protected and that the staff and patients have certainty. We are talking about some of the most vulnerable people in the State and they deserve some respect. It is time to stand up and make it clear that this service is going to be properly funded and maintained. We need to get not just words but actions, because the uncertainty and fear are genuine and need to end. We need a firm commitment that the Government and the Minister will intervene immediately to ensure that funding is put in place.

In line with the programme for Government commitments, we have made improved access to home supports, and the care associated with them, a priority. We have made additional investment of €52 million this year to bring the total funding for home supports to €487 million in 2020. In 2020, the HSE will deliver 19.2 million hours of support, which represents an enormous increase from last year. We all know it probably is not enough and more will be needed, but we are moving in the right direction.

When we talk about the investment in our care homes, and specifically in regard to St. Joseph's, the Deputy asked the Minister to immediately intervene when he knows full well the Minister has already intervened. The situation of the staff and the patients resident there has been secured. The fact the extra day care money has been given for the people who are presenting for the services is a testament to the fact we respect and rely on the services that are being delivered in Shankill by our medical professionals. We have put our money behind them in order to make sure we can give that critical support and viability to the 60 patients who are living there as their home, and to all of the patients who rely on it on a daily basis. There may be a difficulty with new admissions, and that will form part of the planning we are going to do next year. However, when the Deputy raised the crisis with us a number of weeks ago, both the HSE and the Minister stepped up immediately and gave extra funding to shore up the service and to ensure its viability, so we can show respect to the service providers and the value of the service they are giving to their patients.

The Minister is grossly misinformed because there is no certainty whatsoever. What the Minister is talking about is the day care, and I acknowledged that the HSE has stepped up and provided additional funding. I am talking about the residential care. Some 60 residents are currently in St. Joseph's and there is a waiting list of 350 people trying to get in there, but no additional funding has been secured from the Government. The uncertainty is around the residential side. That is why the board had to take the unfortunate decision, although it was a decision it was forced to take, to immediately cease admissions, which took place from Friday last. The Minister is grossly misinformed. I think there is a deliberate attempt to muddy the waters. What we need is a commitment by Government and the Minister to intervene to ensure the residential element of St. Joseph's is secured, and we need that certainty immediately.

Again, there is absolute certainty for the 60 residents who are currently living in St. Joseph's and that will continue to be so. While I appreciate there is a waiting list to get in to the facility, I am sure there is a waiting list to get into all of our residential homes, both private and public, the length and breadth of the country. They are supported by the nursing home support scheme and, through the extra funding that was allocated to St. Joseph's last week, we will continue to support the day care service, which is thriving.