Press release
Ministers for Health announce €10 million in additional funding for Day Centres and Meals on Wheels community care services
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and Minister for Mental Health and Older People Mary Butler are announcing a €10 million nationwide upgrade programme for older persons Day Centres and Meals on Wheels services.
This scheme will be available to support around 400 Section 39 Health Service Executive (HSE) funded community organisations across the country by providing extra financial support of up to €25,000 per organisation.
The funding is designed to support improvements to the physical premises for Day Centres and Meals on Wheels services. It can be used to upgrade kitchens and other facilities, and to purchase equipment.
Older Persons Day Centres and Meals on Wheels services offer a safe and welcoming environment where people can access essential services as well as engage in social activities. These core services foster a sense of community and well-being, providing wraparound supports that work alongside home support to keep people well at home for longer.
Minister Donnelly said:
"More and more people are being supported to live at home for longer. Over four million more hours of home support are being delivered annually under this government (up from 17.9 million in 2019 to 22.3 million in 2023).
"Living well at home doesn’t just mean receiving care in your home, it also means having somewhere to go during the week, where you can access essential services, while also catching up with old and new friends.
"These services that work on behalf of the HSE to provide day care in the community do phenomenal work that I am proud to be able to support, both in my own constituency and across the country.
"When these services need to make upgrades to their kitchens or other facilities, they rely on donations or HSE funding when it is available. This year, I am making an additional €10 million available through the HSE to fund local needs, to ensure that every service has access to financial support for essential works or to purchase necessary assets and equipment."
Since its establishment, the Meals on Wheels service has been an invaluable resource within local communities, providing approximately 2.7 million meals last year. This service continues to help older people to maintain their health and independence through the provision of healthy meals as a wraparound support in our communities.
As well as investing in primary and enhanced community care services, the department funds relatively low-cost, wrap-around preventative supports that meet basic health and social care needs. In addition to keeping people well at home, these services combat isolation and loneliness, provide support for carers and peace of mind for family members. These services are delivered by the HSE and HSE-funded community-based, voluntary providers.
The government will invest approximately €730 million this year in home support services through the HSE and HSE-funded services. Funding for the national Meals on Wheels service has already nearly doubled from over €3 million in 2022 to over €6 million this year.
It is a government priority to keep older people well in their own homes for as long as possible, avoiding hospital and residential care admission, by delivering the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
Minister Butler said:
"I am a great advocate for the triangle of supports in the community, made up of Home Care, Day Care and Meals on Wheels, supporting Older People to age well in their own homes. We must prioritise helping people who need care in the home to live full lives. We know that isolation and loneliness can be a challenge for many older people, especially those living in rural communities. Meals on Wheels can often be the only personal contact that an older person has during the day.
"The social benefits both to the person themselves and the wider community is clear, with the service proving itself to be an important resource through the years, in many rural communities, in particular.
"The funding being announced today will help ensure that Meals on Wheels locations and Day Centres can operate in compliance with health and safety standards. I would also like to encourage Day Centres to consider expanding their provision to include Meals on Wheels as this funding can be used towards upgrading or purchasing vehicles for the delivery of meals or for transport for older people to access community services. We are expecting to provide close to three million meals nationwide this year, and I would love to see that expanded even further."
Funding will be administered through the HSE Regional Health Areas (RHAs) and will be open to all HSE funded day care and Meals on Wheels services that currently have a Service Level Agreement (SLA) or are currently engaging with the HSE to provide such services.
Further details on this grant funding and application process will be communicated directly to services in the coming weeks. This initiative marks a significant step towards enhancing community-based services and supporting the well-being of individuals across the country.
The National Meals on Wheels Network was established in 2015 under the umbrella of Irish Rural Link.
Meals on Wheels (MoW) services help older people to maintain their health and independence through the provision of healthy meals. They also address loneliness and isolation and are a vital resource in many rural communities.
It is estimated that there are approximately 270 HSE-funded Meals on Wheels organisations in operation across the country. The Meals on Wheels service as a whole, which also includes an additional 69 HSE direct services, delivers on average 239,000 meals to 19,000 people each month.
Day Centres offer a safe and welcoming environment where people can access essential services as well as engage in social activities.
The type of day service provided varies. Some provide a more social element, which may offer personal care such as showering or chiropody. Other services are nurse-led and provide a nursing service as well as social activities, and some are targeted at specific conditions such as Alzheimer's or dementia.
There are currently approximately 200 HSE-funded day services across the country, as well as over 100 HSE direct services. These operate on specified days and times that vary from service to service, depending on the needs of the local community and the available resources. Some of these day services also provide Meals on Wheels services and overlap with the estimated 270 services noted above.