Vulnerable people in rural communities could be left “without the vital support they depend upon” amid mounting pressure on domiciliary care services.
That’s what Newry and Armagh DUP MLA Gareth Wilson has warned following a BBC News NI report which revealed that major provider Connected Health is likely to pull out of delivering home care in some rural parts of Northern Ireland because it can no longer afford to provide the service.
The company’s chief executive, Ryan Williams, said warnings over the funding and management of the independent care sector had been ignored, adding that the system was now at a “tipping point”.
A leaked Southern Health Trust document – Modernising Home Care: A new way of working – seen by BBC News NI, also outlines proposals to cut the time carers spend with clients and the number of daily visits some people receive.
According to the report, morning and night calls could be reduced from 30 to 20 minutes, and lunch and tea visits from 20 to 15 minutes, with some care packages moving from four visits per day to three.
Mr Wilson said the developments pointed to a looming “care crisis” unless urgent action is taken.
“I am deeply concerned by the reports that domiciliary care services in rural areas are set to be cut,” he said.
“In practice, this would leave many vulnerable people and their families without the vital support they depend upon. These concerns have been raised with me directly by local people who heavily rely on these services.”
He criticised what he described as a failure to respond to repeated warnings about the sustainability of the current model.
“The Department of Health has been warned that the current model is unsustainable, yet it appears those warnings have not been adequately addressed,” he continued.
“When providers state the system is at a tipping point, it is clear that urgent intervention is required to prevent a care crisis.”
The BBC report also highlighted:
– A Freedom of Information response showing more than 41,000 staff sickness days in one year in the Southern Trust’s home care service – the equivalent of 113 staff off every day – at a cost of over £2.5 million.
– Around 550 home care visits missed last year due to sickness absence.
– Internal Southern Trust home care costs of £39.74 per hour, compared to £21.25 per hour for the independent sector.
– More than 2,600 people currently on waiting lists for home care packages across Northern Ireland.
Pauline Shepherd, chief executive of the Independent Health and Care Providers (IHCP) – which represents independent and voluntary organisations providing care to older people and those with disabilities – told BBC News NI that the proposed changes in the Southern Trust would force staff to “cram more calls” into an already fragile system, amounting to “care by stopwatch, not by need”. She also said there had been no consultation over the plans and described the wider system as “a mess”.
Connected Health’s Ryan Williams, meanwhile, cited rising fuel costs, the funding regime, and the decision not to extend the Real Living Wage to care workers as key pressures on providers, saying the position had become “completely untenable”, particularly for rural runs where carers must travel longer distances.
Responding to these revelations, Mr Wilson warned that cutting visit times and reducing the number of calls would have knock-on effects right across the health system.
“Reducing the length and frequency of home visits risks the health and well-being of those impacted and could, in turn, add additional pressure to both staff and our hospitals,” he said.
He confirmed he will now table a series of Assembly questions to the Health Minister seeking assurances and urgent action.
“I will be submitting a number of questions to the Health Minister to seek clarity on these developments, the funding model for domiciliary care, and what urgent steps will be taken to protect services and support both care workers and those who rely on their care,” he said.
“The Minister must urgently engage with providers and take decisive action to stabilise this sector before the situation deteriorates further.”
A spokesperson for the Southern Trust told BBC News NI it was currently identifying “new and better ways of working” in order to free up time to care for other service users who need support.
