Home help crisis is leaving staff at 'breaking point', claims Longford councillor

They were the sobering words of warning issued by Fine Gael Cllr Garry Murtagh this week as he called on Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to begin a wholesale recruitment campaign in a bid to fill the void left by retiring staff and others who have left the industry in recent months.

“In my area alone, two temporary and one Health Care Support (HCS) staff have retired and not been replaced,” he said.

“Four HCS staff are in receipt of or are due to retire and can’t or won’t retire and leave families in the lurch.

“These are clients and families they have supported and worked with for years.”

The Granard Municipal District elected member addressed the topic at last week's meeting of Longford County Council.

He said a major part of the problem was the meagre levels of pay which were being enjoyed by frontline health care workers.

“The HSE are paying agencies €65 an hour, and in turn they are paying staff a minimum wage of €11 to €12 hour,” he stressed.

Cllr Murtagh told of how one health care worker who works for an agency received a long awaited pay rise after eight years of dedicated service.

“She received a rise to €14 an hour and 15 cent a mile, not even meeting a civil servant's rates, with no pension or options available,” he said.

“No wonder so many great carers are leaving the profession.

“This is a serious issue not just for the people of north Longford or the county, this is happing across the entire country. Our district and community nurses are at breaking point and there is not enough being done to support them.”