I wish to take up an issue that is close to our hearts in Donegal and that is the lack of home care services. Patients are being discharged from hospital because they have been approved for home help. However, when they get home many receive a letter saying there are not enough staff to provide all the approved hours. As a result, they are not getting the care they need and families are left trying to cope on their own. Many vulnerable people are struggling without this necessary support. Too often this leads to patients becoming unwell and ending up back in the hospital. This is upsetting for the patients and their families. It places additional pressure on the hospital.

Approving home help hours is not enough if there are no carers available to deliver them. We need to ensure that home care providers and staff are in place before they are discharged from the hospital. People deserve real support not just approval on paper. We need to prioritise the workforce capacity alongside funding for approved home care hours and provide real support for people who need it most. Investment in recruitment, retention, pay, training and conditions for these home care workers is essential if we are to build a sustainable service moving forward.

This is a real issue that I have been coming up against in the past three or four months in Donegal. Families are at their wits' end trying to cover these hours that they were assured they were going to get. Will the Leader address it with the Minister to see whether we can get any movement on it? People are pressed to the pin of their collar as they are. They really need that support.