Health and safety audits for home help services
Changes in government-funded homes in Ireland are coming. Elderly and disabled individuals in government run facilities have not received the care they should of late. Some home help businesses are getting high fees from those they take care of but do not provide the level of service those fees should supply. The HSE has decided to conduct health and safety audits of many Irish home help services in an attempt to stop the abuse of government funding.
Disabled and elderly individuals need care to help them live independently in their own homes. Proper health and safety services need to be supplied. The care worker has the duty of care to make certain the individual is treated appropriately, fed if necessary, and has a companion. Neglecting his or her duties is akin to not having anyone there to help. The HSE has even talked about taking away funding because of the abuse some companies have taken in getting money from the government while still taking money from clients. About 30 companies are being targeted in the audits and investigations.
It is hoped that the proper duty of care will be provided along with the end to the abuse of money that some companies have conducted in recent years. Those who want to make money off those in need will be stopped according to the HSE so that proper safety and health can be restored to the home help system.
