There’s been a 22% reduction in the number of people on waiting lists for home care services in Kerry.
According to the HSE’s figures, there were 125 people waiting for home support in Kerry in November.
That’s down from 160 at the same stage in 2023.
The HSE says home support is a core service for older people and their families, to enable them to continue to live within their communities.
Almost 8,000 people in Ireland are availing of home support, of which over 1,800 are in Kerry.
The HSE says the majority of people prescribed home support have their service begin immediately, but at times the availability of carers in an area can lead to waiting times.
At the end of November, 125 people were waiting for 356.5 hours of home support; this is down from 160 people in November 2023.
The HSE says its waiting lists comprise people who are awaiting any kind of service for the first time, as well as existing clients awaiting additional hours.
73 of those waitlisted in Kerry are existing clients waiting for allocation of additional service.
The demand for home care has grown considerably in recent years, according to the HSE, and the ageing population is said to have impacted the provision of services with staff retiring or resigning.
The HSE says the recruitment and retention of staff, particularly in rural areas, is a challenge.
It says it continues to recruit staff to approve healthcare assistant home support posts to increase their workforce and meet service needs in Kerry, and successful applicants are deployed as a priority to the areas where they’re most needed.