HSE home care supports an Eircode lottery, say providers

The organisation representing independent providers of home care has said there is an Eircode lottery in access to HSE home care support waiting lists.

Home & Community Care Ireland (HCCI) has published an analysis which shows that the HSE waiting lists in December last year ranged from zero in parts of Dublin to 748 in Clare & Limerick County.

It says that at the end of last year, the waiting list for home support was 5,600.

The organisation has called for a waiting list task force.

It also wants a mileage payment for home carers and sustained investment to deal with the ageing population.

The HSE provides home care itself, and HCCI says its members are funded to provide 68% of all home supports.

HCCI said that the lack of a mileage payment for carers is hampering recruitment and retention, especially in rural areas, and is contributing to long waiting lists in these areas.

The largest waiting lists were in Clare & Limerick County with 748, Louth-Meath with 579, Galway-Roscommon with 522, Cork South & West with 519, and Waterford-Wexford with 482.

The lowest waiting lists were in Dublin South West, Dublin North County, Dublin North City & West - all zero waiting list areas.

Dublin South City & West had seven people waiting, while Kildare-West Wicklow had 33 waiting.

HCCI Chief Executive Joseph Musgrave said the data confirms that where you live in Ireland determines how long you wait for home care.

He said that record investment and record delivery in 2025 did not move the national waiting list, because the extra capacity did not go where it was needed most.

The independent sector said it delivered 68% of all home support last year.

The number of people receiving home care last year increased by 3% to 60,463.