Donegal’s ‘expansive geographical spread’ complicates recruitment

The “expansive geographical spread” of County Donegal is leading to recruitment issues in home support services, according to the HSE.

Within the Donegal Integrated Healthcare Area (IHA), figures from January to July 2026 show that Donegal Home Support Services delivered 885,000 hours of care, directly supporting almost 2,500 patients across the county. However, despite this, issues persist around the recruitment and retention of staff.

Fianna Fáil councillor Ciaran Brogan queried actions the HSE has centrally taken to deliver the home support model at the September meeting of the HSE Regional Health Forum.

A system of rolling recruitment as well as ongoing campaigns has been implemented. Dermot Monaghan, Integrated Health Area Manager, Donegal, detailed that those with the “greatest clinical need” are prioritised, remaining within the budget allocated, which can “unfortunately lead to service delays.”

“Despite this substantial increase in service provision, the demand for home support continues to outpace capacity, and localised waiting lists remain in place,” Mr Monaghan continued.

“To maximise capacity, the HSE continuously liaises with private home care providers across Donegal. However, both the HSE and external providers face ongoing challenges in recruiting and retaining staff, a situation further complicated by the expansive geographical spread of the county.

“The HSE continues to explore all available avenues to recruit personnel and optimise the delivery of care packages to those waiting.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme