103. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health to provide the number of staff required to deliver home care hours and care packages to fulfil commitments given to families on the discharge from hospital of a family member. [52298/26]

Improving access to home support is a priority for me and the Government. The Budget for home support for older people in 2026 is the largest ever at circa €914 million, representing an increase of €82 million on the previous year and over 87% when compared to the 2020 Budget. More home support hours are being delivered now than have ever been delivered before. Approximately 26.7 million hours will be delivered this year, representing a 43% increase in the number of home support hours delivered in 2020.

Home Support Services are managed regionally, within available resources to ensure that this key service is available at the required times, in a flexible way to support clients’ assessed needs. Those assessed and waiting on new or additional service are prioritised based on their individual needs and within the resources available across the Health Region. The HSE has confirmed that priority is given to people in the community with the greatest assessed need and to patients who are medically ready to leave hospital and can return home with appropriate supports.

I have been working actively with the HSE to address the waiting list for these services, which is predominantly due to the shortage of home support workers. The HSE is running ongoing campaigns to recruit home support workers. This question will be forwarded to the HSE for consideration as part of the estimates process.