Debate contribution: Home Care Provision

Debate contribution by Mr Alan Robinson on 12 May 2026.

MLA: Mr Alan Robinson
Party at the time: Democratic Unionist Party
Date: 12 May 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Private Members' Business
Heading: Home Care Provision
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5528663

Text

Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I very much welcome the opportunity to speak on this important and timely motion. I thank the Members who tabled it, and I hope that they can support our amendment. We have heard the term "a lifeline" used in the Chamber many times. How fitting is that term for home care or domiciliary care? It is indeed a lifeline for so many of our people. It is the support that allows an older person to be in the home that they have lived in for decades. Home care services offer reassurance for a person with disabilities to live independently and allow those who live with long-term conditions to remain close to their families and neighbours and in their local area. The population here is ageing, and demand is therefore increasing. More people are living longer with complex health needs, and, increasingly, care is delivered not in hospitals but in people's homes. The neighbourhood model and shift left is the right direction of travel. Ask people and most will say that they want to remain at home for as long as possible. From a health perspective, prevention and community-based support are more sustainable than repeated hospital admissions or prolonged stays in acute settings. While demand in the sector continues to grow, the pressures facing home care providers and workers are becoming unsustainable. The Department told us in late April that there have been sustained pressures on the system over recent years, particularly within home care. The unmet figures at the end of March this year indicated that 1,872 individuals were awaiting a full care package and 893 were awaiting part packages of care. In the independent sector across Northern Ireland, care workers are leaving because they feel undervalued, underpaid and exhausted. In one provider alone, 73% of their leavers are leaving the sector altogether. Other providers highlight how that issue is now at a tipping point. As I referred to, some struggle to retain staff, particularly in rural areas where travel distances are greater while fuel costs continue to rise. In some areas, packages of care are at breaking point due to high rates of staff sickness. The consequences are that, every day, hundreds of patients who are fit for discharge remain stuck in under-pressure hospital beds because there is no care package for them in their own home or an appropriate package cannot be put in place quickly. That issue ripples right across the health service, contributing to overcrowding in emergency departments, ambulance pressures and growing waiting lists. A 2025 Audit Office report highlighted that 3,800 patients were potentially subject to severe harm in 2024 as a result of handover delays. Furthermore, the RCEM estimates that long waits in EDs were linked to 1,032 excess deaths in 2025. Therefore, when we talk in the House about home care, it is a key pillar and is central to the functioning of the entire health and social care system. It is key to patients being treated in beds rather than on trolleys, in ambulances or in hospital corridors. Patients fit for discharge are not free to treat in hospital. It costs money that could be better spent. It is important to recognise that home care workers carry out skilled, emotionally demanding and physically challenging work. They often become a trusted source of companionship for those who might otherwise see very few people throughout the day. That is why the previous commitment to introduce the real living wage for independent care workers is so important. Pay alone will not solve every challenge in the sector, but it is widely recognised as an important foundation for recruitment and retention. Crucially, people should not face poor access to home care simply because they live in a rural area or because providers cannot recruit staff. Everyone deserves home care, regardless of the postcode. It is therefore deeply concerning that care in the countryside could be cut, according to a major healthcare company. Strengthening home care is the smart thing to do, economically and strategically. Investing in community care reduces pressure in hospitals, supports early intervention and improves quality of life for countless individuals and their families. All of us in the Chamber want to ensure that people who require home care can age with independence, grace and respect. It is also important to recognise that the home care sector's staff, who are among some of the lowest paid in the health system, stepped up and showed extraordinary bravery during and after the COVID pandemic, in particular. Home care workers will tell you that they are fed up with warm words and gratitude. I therefore support the motion and hope that other Members will support our amendment.

787 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Awaiting analysis

This record has not been analysed yet. It is not counted in any total until it has been assessed.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reviews every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification