Home Support Service

If you are an older person, the Home Support Service is a free service that help you continue living in your own home for as long as possible. For example, it can provide support to you with everyday tasks such as getting in and out of bed, bathing and dressing.

Your individual needs are assessed to decide what supports you need. The supports will be provided by the HSE or by an external provider, approved by the HSE.

The Home Support Service does not replace informal care you may have.

It is not possible to deliver 24-hour care to individual clients in their own homes, as funding available for the Home Support Service is limited.

How much does the Home Support Service cost?

The Home Support Service is free. It is not means-tested so your income is not assessed.

You do not need to have a medical card to apply for the Home Support Service.

The Home Support Service is available if you are aged 65 or over and you need support to continue living at home or to return home following a hospital stay.

You may need the services:

• Due to your illness or disability
• After a stay in hospital or rehabilitation in a nursing home

You may be able to get the service if you are younger than 65 and need support. For example, if you have early onset dementia or a disability.

The services you get will depend on your individual needs. For example, you may get help with everyday tasks such as

• Getting in and out of bed
• Showering, bathing, and shaving
• Dressing

When you apply, the HSE arranges an assessment of the support you may need. This is called the Care Needs Assessment.

HSE review of your Home Support Services

The HSE will sometimes review the services you are getting. They may increase or decrease the supports you are getting, depending on your care needs, or the supports may remain the same.

If your situation changes, you must notify the local HSE Home Support Office if this affects your need for home support.

To apply for the Home Support Service, you must fill in the application form. You can:

• Get an application form from your local Home Support Office, or
• Print the application form and information booklet for the Home Support Service (pdf).

You return the completed application form to your local Home Support Office.

After you apply, the HSE will assess your health care needs (see below).

Help filling in the application form

You can complete the application form yourself or ask someone to complete it for you such as a family carer, GP or public health nurse.

Staff in your local Home Support office can help you if have questions or need help filling in the form.

If another person helps you fill in the form

If someone else is completing the form for you, you must sign the Declaration and Consent section in Part 1 of the application form. This is to show that you have decided for yourself that you want the service.

If you are in hospital, you can ask the person dealing with your discharge plan about applying for the Home Support Service. They might be a nurse, a discharge coordinator or a social worker. They will help you with the application form and send it to your local HSE Home Support Office.

If you nominate a person to decide for you

If you are not able to sign the declaration on Part 1, then the application can only be signed by someone you have nominated to support you in making decisions.  Your nominated decision maker can apply on your behalf. Read more about who your nominated decision maker may be.

If you would like to be considered for Consumer Directed Home Support (CDHS), tick the box for this on the application form. (see below)

After you apply, the HSE will assess your health care needs and social circumstances. The assessment will identify the level of care that you currently have and what other supports you may need.

A healthcare professional such as a public health nurse or physiotherapist will do the assessment.  They will consider:

• How you carry out everyday tasks such as bathing and shopping
• Any medical, health and other supports provided to you
• Your family, social and community supports
• Your wishes and preferences

The HSE will write to you to let you know their decision about the supports you need.

Appealing the decision of the care needs assessment

If you are not happy with the HSE decision, you can write to your local HSE Home Support Office within 20 days of getting the decision with the reasons you are not happy.

The HSE will make an impartial review of the decision and will tell you the outcome of the review.

If you are approved for Home Support Services, the service can be delivered by:

• The HSE
• An approved provider arranged by the HSE, or
• An approved provider arranged by you (Consumer Directed Home Support (CDHS)

HSE provided home support

The HSE provides and organises the home supports if staff are available.

HSE organise home care staff from approved provider

If you are approved for the Home Support Service and the HSE does not have available staff, a company will deliver the service. This external provider will be approved by the HSE.

The HSE will ask you to choose from a list of approved home support providers.

You deal directly with the approved company to arrange the days and times for the support.

All of these Home Support Service companies must meet certain standards. These include ensuring staff are trained and that there is a process for regularly consulting with service users.

Consumer Directed Home Support (CDHS)

You can deal directly with your chosen care company from the HSE list of approved providers. This is called the Consumer Directed Home Support (CDHS).

If you are approved for the CDHS, you will receive a letter telling you the weekly amount of HSE funding you can use to arrange the home support from your chosen provider.

You will then arrange the times and days of service directly with the provider. For example, if you have a family carer on a Tuesday, you may prefer to have a CDHS support hours provided on a different day.

The number of hours of home support that CDHS funding provides depends on the rates charged by the provider. The provider will tell you the rates they have agreed with the HSE.

You can choose Consumer Directed Home Support when you apply for the Home Support Service. You just tick the box on the application form.

You can change your home support from CDHS to the HSE organised or from HSE organised to CDHS if you give notice.

You can make a complaint or provide feedback on the Home Support Service in a number of ways:

• In person by speaking to an HSE staff member
• Online using the online feedback form
• Sending an email to yoursay@hse.ie
• Writing to your local home Support Office
• Phoning LoCall 1890 424 555
• Filling in a paper feedback for

You can also print and fill in this feedback form (pdf), or a feedback form in your own language

• Put it into the feedback box in your local health service
• Give it to a staff member
• Post it to the HSE address on the form.

You can find a HSE approved Home Support Provider near you.

You can contact your nearest local HSE Home Support Service office.