Domiciliary care in the Southern Trust is “at breaking point”, after official figures revealed a record 799 people were stuck on waiting lists for home care as of March 31, 2026.
Speaking in the Assembly, DUP MLA for Newry and Armagh Gareth Wilson highlighted the impact that a lack of home care provision is having on older people, people living with disabilities and families struggling to care for loved ones with complex needs.
The MLA said domiciliary care had been a consistent issue raised by constituents since he took up the role in January, describing the “desperation” of families trying to balance full-time employment with caring for elderly parents.
He also highlighted the challenges facing families dealing with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis and trying to ensure that loved ones can remain comfortable and supported in their own homes.
Mr Wilson said: “We are talking about older people who wish to remain in their own homes, people living with disabilities who rely on support to maintain their independence and families who are often carrying enormous caring responsibilities while waiting for help to arrive.”
Figures provided by the Health Minister through Assembly questions to the MLA revealed that, as of March 31, 2026, 799 people were waiting for a domiciliary care package in the Southern Trust area – the “highest number recorded across Northern Ireland,” he said. Of those, 764 were waiting for a full package of care.
The MLA called on the Minister to provide an update on what progress had been made to reduce the waiting list in recent months.
Particular concern was also raised about the impact of insufficient home care provision on hospital discharge rates at Craigavon Area Hospital and Newry’s Daisy Hill Hospital.
Figures showed that delayed discharges attributable to a lack of home care increased at Craigavon from 281 in 2024 to 358 in 2025. At Daisy Hill, the number rose from 153 to 228 over the same period.
In 2025, the average discharge delay caused by a lack of home care provision was 8.66 days at Craigavon and 9.47 days at Daisy Hill.
Even more concerning were the longest recorded delays, with one patient at Craigavon waiting 66 days and one at Daisy Hill waiting 131 days to be discharged due to the absence of home care provision.
The MLA said: “A delay of more than four months is simply not a system inefficiency; it is a sign that something is fundamentally wrong.”
He warned that patients who are “medically fit” to leave hospital are being left waiting for care arrangements, preventing beds from becoming available for other patients and placing additional pressure on emergency departments and the wider health service.
The MLA stressed that the issue was particularly important for Newry and Armagh, given the rural nature of the constituency and the difficulties this can create in accessing care services.
Mr Wilson asked Minister Robbie Butler to outline what steps his Department could take, in partnership with the Southern Trust, to ensure that people living in rural communities were not disadvantaged when seeking domiciliary care.
During his speech, Mr Wilson recognised the vital work carried out by domiciliary care workers, who provide essential support with personal care, medication, mobility and everyday tasks, helping people maintain their dignity and independence.
The MLA said the debate was “not about criticising frontline staff”, who continued to work in increasingly challenging circumstances, but about highlighting a “growing problem before it developed into a greater crisis”.
Sinn Féin MLA, Aoife Finnegan – also for the Newry and Armagh area – said she was “delighted that this issue has been brought to the House today” agreeing with the DUP representative that it “is a very important topic”.
In fact, the MLA said she was even more glad to announce she had helped secure a care package for a female constituent who had spent 85 days in hospital waiting for one.
“When she came home, she was really unsure of herself in her own home and fearful of the times when the carers would not be there,” she said. “Her family have stepped in, of course, and looked after her, which is what they do best, but that is a good example of what we are dealing with, particularly in rural areas.”
Ms Finnegan also highlighted the struggles of the domilicary care worker, stating they have told her that they have to “make a choice between staying in the sector and feeding their family”.
“We must truly recognise the additional challenges faced by rural communities such as those in my constituency, where geography and travel distances place a further strain on an already overstretched service,” she said.
