Close to 300 people in Galway are waiting for funding for a home support service, with the figure for the Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon region being close to 800.
The figures come from the HSE and were released to Sinn Féin health spokesperson, Dep Louise O’Reilly. The figures show that, as of May 31 this year, 6,819 people in the State were waiting for funding for a home support service, an increase of 581 since March. Of these, 779 are in the Galway, Mayo and Roscommon area. The waiting list for Galway stands at 285.
The figures have been described as “disappointing” by Sinn Féin Galway West General Election candidate Mairéad Farrell, who said the increase in waiting times is due to the Government and the HSE “freezing the home support service”.
She described the system as a “complete post-code lottery” as the county or area “where you live defines whether you can get the service or if you join a waiting list of hundreds”.
Ms Farrell said: “The people on this list are entitled to this service – they have been assessed and approved for home support, but they cannot be facilitated because of the freeze in the service. It is not possible for the Government or the HSE to stand over undermining this service - they have essentially pulled down the shutters on the home help service and stuck a closed until further notice sign outside.”
